<JOffM  ff,  BJUUC& 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 

JOSEPH  M.  BRANSTEN 
COFFEE  &  TEA  COLLECTION 

Acquired  in  memory  of 
JOSEPH  M.  BRANSTEN 


SUPPLEMENTING  BLAKtS 
INTS  FM»  PUAILtPS 

1903 


MAP    SHOWING    THE    TEA    DISTRICTS    OF    CHINA. 


TEA   HINTS 


FOR 


RETAILERS 


IN    TWO    PARTS 


By    JOHN  H.  BLAKE 


DENVER: 

THE  WILLIAMSON-HAFFNER   ENGRAVING   COMPANY 
1903 


COPYRIGHT,  1903 
BY  JOHN    H.    BLAKE 

ALL    RIGHTS    RESERVED 


CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  I.  The  Tea  Gardens  of  the  World,  -     -                    9 

CHAPTER  II.  Tea  From  Seed  To  Leaf,  68 

CHAPTER  III.  Tea  From  Leaf  To  Cup,  92 

CHAPTER  IV.  The  Tea  Marts  of  the  Orient,     -  -     -     -        155 


PART   II. 

CHAPTER  V.  How  To  Test  Teas,  1 74 

CHAPTER  VI.  Where  To  Buy  Teas,  193 

CHAPTER  VII.  Is  It  Wise  To  Place  An  Importation  Order  ?  -  225 

CHAPTER  VIII.  Bulk  versus  Package  Teas,       -     -     -     -  238 

CHAPTER  IX.  How  To  Establish  a  Tea  Trade,           ...  243 

CHAPTER  X.  Tea  Blending, 267 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Map  Showing  the  Tea  Districts  of  China,        -  Frontispiece 

A  Tea  Plantation  in  China,       -  20 

A  Tea  Plantation  in  Japan, 30 

Map  Showing  the  Tea  Districts  of  India,       -  36 

Map  Showing  the  Tea  Districts  of  Ceylon,       ...  -            44 

Picking  Tea  Leaves  at  Pinehurst,  South  Carolina,  62 

Thea  Chinensis,  Branch  of  Japan  Tea  Plant,  76 

An  Indian  "  Flush,"  Showing  Method  of  Plucking,  88 

Native  Tea  Firing  in  China,  98 

Original   Ping-suey  Tea  Packages,  108 

Map  Showing  the  Tea  Districts  of  Japan,  I  20 

A  Basket-Firing  "  Go-down  "  in  Japan,  128 

A   Pan-Firing  ««  Go-down "  in  Japan,      ...     -  138 

Picking  Tea  Leaves  in  Ceylon,  148 

Bringing  Native  Leaf  to  Market  in  Japan,  154 

A  Tea  Testing  Room  in  a  Yokohama  "Go-down,"  164 

Loading  Tea  at  Colombo,  Ceylon,  172 

A  Tea  Estate  and  Factory  in  Ceylon,       -     -  192 
Natives  Steaming  Tea  Leaves  in  Japan,        .....           224 

Expressing  the  Sap  in  Japan,  238 

Native  Tea  Rolling  in  Japan,        -     -  244 

Natives  Sorting  Tea  in  Japan,  -        254 

A  Tea  Canister  that  IS  a  Tea  Canister,  264 

Sifting  Tea  in  Japan,  272 


INTRODUCTORY. 


In  the  regular  routine  of  his  ordinary  daily  business  the 
retail  merchant  is  frequently  called  upon  to  face  trade-prob- 
lems that  are  difficult  to  solve  satisfactorily;  problems  upon 
the  enigmatical  nature  of  which  no  light  from  the  outside 
may  be  shed ;  problems  that,  in  their  outcome,  may  affect  the 
money  making  capacity  of  a  business  for  better  or  for  worse, 
and  of  which  a  hap-hazard  or  hasty  solution  may  be  dangerous. 

It  is  not  every  retail  dealer  who  is  sufficiently  well  versed 
in  the  finer  details  of  his  particular  trade  as  to  be  able  to 
direct  every  business  procedure  into  the  correct  channel,  and 
so  it  oftentimes  happens  that  words  of  advice,  from  those  who 
have  had  the  opportunity  to  become  experienced  in  certain 
directions,  are  well  received. 

Although  tea  is  one  of  the  most  important  items  in  the 
retail  grocer's  stock,  and  one  of  the  few  articles  remaining  to 
him  upon  which  a  really  good  profit  may  be  made,  it  is,  never- 
theless, unfortunately  true  that  few  grocers  can  claim  to  have 
a  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  flavory  leaf;  a  knowledge 
such  as  the  importance  of  the  commodity  as  a  trade-winner 
and  as  a  profit-maker  would  warrant.  There  are,  undoubt- 
edly, many  reasons  for  this  almost  general  inconversance  with 
the  subject,  but  it  would  appear  that  a  lack  of  means  whereby 
a  greater  knowledge  might  be  gained  is  responsible  beyond 
other  reasons. 

It  is  very  possible,  therefore,  that  there  are  many  who 
desire  to  become  more  familiar  with  teas,  and  with  the  va- 
rious tea-problems  that  confront  the  average  dealer  in  his 


VI  INTRODUCTORY. 

capacity  of  buyer  and  seller,  and  it  is  to  these,  and  to  these 
only,  that  this  book  has  been  respectfully  addressed. 

In  preparing  and  publishing  the  following  pages  the 
writer  has  made  no  attempt  to  qualify  as  an  authority  or  as 
an  author.  His  chief  end  and  aim  has  been  to  give  to  the  in- 
experienced retail  dealer  in  teas  ideas  and  information  that 
will  prove  to  be  of  value  and  of  benefit  in  a  business  way. 
These  ideas  have  been  gathered  during  an  experience  of  more 
than  twenty  years  of  active  service  in  exclusively  wholesale 
tea-circles,  and,  such  as  they  are,  it  is  sincerely  hoped  that 
they  will  be  of  as  much  worth  as  it  is  intended  that  they 
shall  be. 

It  is  possible  that  exceptions  may  be  taken,  by  those  op- 
posedly  interested,  to  many  statements  and  suggestions  con- 
tained within  the  covers  of  this  book,  but,  inasmuch  as  all 
has  been  written  in  a  spirit  of  fairness;  of  absolute  truthful- 
ness, without  fear  or  favor,  and  for  the  retailer's  especial  bene- 
fit, the  writer  is  content  to  allow  those  for  whom  it  has  been 
written  to  be  his  judges. 

It  is  believed,  however,  that  the  many  hundreds  of  retail 
grocers  who  know  the  writer  personally,  or  have  known  him 
by  reputation  during  his  career  on  the  road,  as  manager  and 
as  tea-man,  will  appreciate  this  effort  to  benefit  them,  how- 
ever faulty  it  may  be,  and  it  is  sincerely  hoped  that  those  who 
do  not  know  him  will  find  as  much  pleasure  and  profit  in  the 
perusal  of  these  pages  as  will  be  derived,  it  is  confidently  ex- 
pected, by  those  who  do  know  him. 

Denver,  August  10th,  1902. 


PART    I. 


HISTORY,   CULTIVATION, 
MANUFACTURE. 


CHAPTER     I. 

THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Prior  to  the  sixth  decade  of  the  late  nineteenth  century 
the  world's  production  of  tea,  with  a  few  altogether  unimpor- 
tant exceptions,  was  confined  to  that  yielded  by  the  ancient 
gardens  of  China  and  Japan. 

Since  the  year  1864,  however,  several  British  possessions; 
viz : — India,  Ceylon,  The  Straits  Settlements,  Natal,  and  the 
Fiji  Islands  have  been  added  to  the  list  of  tea-producing  coun- 
tries, and  these,  with  Java,  Formosa,  Brazil,  The  United 
States  of  America,  and  a  few  other  countries  of  minor  note, 
as  yet,  as  tea-producers,  constitute  the  present  tea-gardens  of 
the  world. 

CHINA. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  China,  the  long-lived  Em- 
pire, has  ever  been  recognized  as  the  ancient  home  of  tea-cul- 
tivation, and  that  her  peoples  have  always  been  looked  upon 
as  the  originators  of  the  leaf -preservative  methods  which,  in 
principle,  are  followed  by  all  of  the  tea-producing  countries 
of  the  world  today,  there  are  authorities  who  offer  excellent 
and  healthy  reasons  for  the  advancement  of  the  theory  that 
India,  and  not  China,  is  the  original  home  of  the  tea-plant 
itself. 

On  the  other  hand  there  are  authorities  who  are  unwill- 
ing to  admit  the  claim  of  any  country  other  than  China  for 
the  honor  of  being  the  original  home  of  the  plant,  and  these 
authorities  base  their  opinion  upon  the  fact  that  the  several 
varieties  or  species  of  the  Chinese  tea-plant  are  distinctive, 


10  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

and  unlike  the  plant  found  growing  elsewhere,  although  it  is 
admitted  that  the  claim  of  others  for  India,  as  the  original 
home,  has  some  foundation  in  fact. 

In  the  year  1826  a  tree,  which  was  subsequently  proved 
to  be  the  tea-tree,  or,  at  least,  a  species  of  the  general  order 
to  which  the  tea-tree  belongs,  was  discovered  growing  wild, 
apparently,  in  the  jungle-forests  of  Upper  Assam,  and  along 
the  valley  of  the  Brahmaputra  River  in  the  north-eastern  cor- 
ner af  British  India;  a  country  which  was  overrun  and  con- 
quered, in  the  eighteenth  century,  by  the  warlike  people  of  the 
adjoining  country,  Burmah.  According  to  an  authoritative 
statement  this  country  was  thickly  populated  in  the  eighteenth 
century;  was  civilized  in  a  measure;  and  the  lands  were  in 
a  state  of  excellent  cultivation.  The  incursions  of  the  victo- 
rious Burmese,  however,  completely  devastated  the  thriv- 
ing communities  and  drove  the  peoples  out,  and,  at  the  present 
day,  these  lands,  which  were  once  the  seats  of  civilization  and 
of  agricultural  activity,  are  covered  with  impenetrable  jungle- 
forests.  In  these  forests  the  tea-tree  was  discovered,  and  the 
theory  is  that  it  was  once  cultivated  on  the  lands  upon  which 
it  was  discovered,  but  has  degenerated  and  become  wild  as 
the  result  of  a  subsequent  lack  of  cultivation.  It  is  further 
stated,  in  support  of  the  theory,  that  the  tea-plant,  in  a  real 
state  of  nature,  is,  more  than  likely,  to  be  found  in  the  pri- 
meval forests,  as  yet  unexplored,  of  the  Indo-Chinese  border- 
land, and  that  seeds  were  originally  conveyed  from  these  In- 
dian border-lands  to  China,  and  there  subjected  to  a  careful 
husbandry ;  a  husbandry  of  centuries  which  would  account  for 
the  difference  in  the  appearance  and  size  of  the  leaves  of  the 
plants  of  India  and  China. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  however — for  it  still  remains  an  open 
question — it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  a  knowledge  of  the  vir- 
tues of  the  tea-leaf,  as  well  as  a  method  of  preserving  it  from 
one  season  to  the  other,  was  given  to  the  outside  world  by  the 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  11 

people  of  China,  so  that,  if  the  plant  itself  cannot  be  traced 
to  an  origin  on  Chinese  soil,  the  discovery  of  the  usefulness 
of  its  leaves,  by  the  Chinese,  can. 

For  four  thousand  years  the  people  of  China  are  said  to 
have  known  of  the  tea-plant ;  to  have  cultivated  it,  and  to  have 
infused  its  leaves  in  like  manner  as  is  done  by  them  today. 

However  this  may  be — for  the  discovery  and  early  his- 
story  of  the  shrub  and  its  uses  are  enshrouded  in  the  dark- 
ness of  Chinese  tradition,  legend,  and  folk-lore — sufficient 
truth  has  been  culled  from  more  recent  Chinese  writings  to 
prove,  beyond  a  reasonable  doubt,  that  the  cultivation  of  the 
tea-plant  for  its  leaves  has  been  systematically  carried  on  as 
a  national  industry  in  China  for  a  period  of,  at  least,  one 
thousand  years. 

In  the  Flowery  Kingdom  tea-drinking  has  been  a  national 
custom  for  many  centuries.  The  tea-cup  is  in  evidence  at  all 
times,  and  is  available  at  every  social  function  throughout  the 
Empire,  whether  in  the  home  of  the  prince,  the  mandarin, 
or  the  peasant.  A  Chinese  author  tells  us  that  "the  chief  rul- 
ers, dukes,  and  nobility  esteem  it;  the  lower  people,  the  poor 
and  beggarly,  will  not  be  destitute  of  it;  all  use  it  daily  and 
like  it." 

It  is,  therefore,  not  at  all  surprising  that  a  custom  so  pop- 
ular in  its  original  home ;  that  a  beverage  so  beneficial  to  the 
human  race  should,  eventually,  find  its  way  to  other  countries, 
and  that  the  cultivation  of  the  plant  should  be  undertaken  in 
other  parts  of  the  globe  where  soil  and  climatic  conditions 
would  permit. 

China  being  the  home  of  tea-leaf  cultivation  and  prepa- 
ration, it  naturally  follows  that  all  subsequent  tea-growing 
countries  received  their  seeds  and  their  knowledge  from  the 
Chinese.  Not  only  did  they  receive  these,  but  with  them  came 
to  the  civilized  and  semi-civilized  worlds  the  names  by  which 
the  plant  and  the  infusion  of  its  leaves  are  known. 


12  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

Cha — pronounced  tscha — is  the  spoken  name  for  both  tea 
and  its  infusion  in  the  greater  part  of  the  Chinese  Empire. 
The  Japanese  and  Portuguese  also  speak  it  cha,  and  the  Rus- 
sians use  the  word  tschai.  The  Anglo-Saxon  word  tea,  the 
French  the,  the  German  and  Dutch  thee,  the  Danish  the,  the 
Spanish  te,  and  the  Italian  te  are  all  derived  from  the  dialect 
of  the  Chinese  Province  of  Fu-Kien,  where  it  is  called  tai  and 
ta.  The  first  shipments  of  tea  to  European  countries,  except 
to  Russia  and  Portugal,  it  is  said,  were  made  from  the  Chinese 
sea-ports  of  Amoy  and  Foo-chow,  and,  as  these  cities  an-  in 
the  above  named  province,  it  is  more  than  likely  that  the  Fu- 
Kienese  pronunciation  of  the  word  found  its  way  with  the  tea- 
chests  to  Europe,  and  so  created  a  name  for  the  product  akin 
to  the  Chinese  name  of  that  province.  Japan  and  Russia  evi- 
dently obtained  their  spoken  words  for  the  product  from  Chi- 
nese dialects  of  other  provinces;  while  Portugal  undoubtedly 
absorbed  the  term  in  use  by  the  Japanese  during  the  early 
commercial  relations  which  existed  between  the  two  countries. 

The  seventeenth  century — A.  D.  1664 — saw  the  introduc- 
tion of  China  tea  to  the  western  civilization  of  Europe,  where, 
although  introduced  by  Westerners  themselves,  the  beverage 
was  received  with  prejudice  and  some  hostility.  For  many 
years  after  its  introduction  this  prejudice  and  ignorance,  or 
both,  stayed  the  destined  onward  march  of  the  generous  bev- 
erage, for  it  was  not  until  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century  that  the  nations  of  Europe  and  America  began  to  ap- 
preciate the  Chinese  drink  and  to  fall  into  line  as  habitual 
consumers  of  the  infusion.  The  Anglo-Saxon  race,  wherever 
located,  has  been  since  its  introduction,  is  today,  and,  it  is 
more  than  likely,  always  will  be  the  greatest  Western  con- 
sumer of  tea  as  a  beverage.  This  race  was  educated  in  its  use 
during  the  early  years  of  the  eighteenth  century  by  the  trade- 
seeking  merchants  of  the  parent  country,  whose  ships  searched 
the  far  corners  of  the  earth  for  outlets  for  her  manufactures, 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  13 

and  brought  the  products  of  the  nations  to  the  home-country 
in  exchange. 

In  spite  of  a  heavy  import  duty,  which  was  levied  at  that 
time  by  the  British  Government,  the  tea-importations  of  Great 
Britain  and  her  Colonies  increased  quite  rapidly,  fostered  by 
the  commercial  instincts  of  the  then  powerful  English  East 
India  Company,  and  by  the  increasing  desire  of  the  British 
public  for  the  Chinese  beverage.  British  emigrants  to  the 
American  Colonies  brought  with  them  their  fondness  for  the 
infusion,  and  today  the  descendants  of  these  emigrants,  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  an  iniquitous  tea-tax  hastened  a 
separation  of  the  two  countries,  are  as  fond  of  "the  cup  that 
cheers  but  not  inebriates"  as  were  their  forefathers. 

"The  waters  in  the  rebel  bay 

Have  kept  the  tea-leaf  savor, 
Our  old  North-Enders  in  their  spray 

Still  taste  a  Hyson  flavor ; 
And  Freedom's  tea-cup  still  o'erflows 

With  ever  fresh  libations, 
To  cheat  of  slumber  all  her  foes 
And  cheer  the  awakening  nations." 

— Holmes. 

For  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  China  supplied  the 
outside  world  with  tea,  and,  during  this  period,  enjoyed  an 
undisturbed  monopoly  of  the  world's  markets,  for  it  was  not 
until  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century,  when  the  sea-ports 
of  Japan  were  unlocked  to  foreign  commerce,  and,  a  little 
later,  when  the  tea-gardens  of  India  and  Ceylon  commenced 
to  thrive,  that  her  enormous  trade  with  the  Angla-Saxon  peo- 
ples began  to  decline.  Since  the  date  of  the  awakening  of 
Japan  in  1853-54  to  the  present  time,  China  has  been  com- 
pelled to  share  the  trade  of  the  United  States  with  that  wide- 


14  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

awake  Empire,  while  British-Indian  enterprise  has  been  the 
means  of  reducing  her  trade  with  Great  Britain  to  less  than 
ten  per  cent,  of  that  country's  annual  consumption;  and  it 
appears  to  be  quite  likely  that  these  progressive  tea-producing 
nations  will  continue  to  make  inroads  into  her  foreign  trade 
unless  she  awakens  and  undertakes  to  teach  the  world  that 
there  is,  in  reality,  no  tea  equal  to  that  of  her  old-time  make. 

For  many  years  past,  and  in  spite  of  a  very  heavy  in- 
crease in  the  world's  consumption  of  tea,  China's  export  trade 
has  suffered  exceedingly.  In  British  markets,  where  the  con- 
sumption is  now  said  to  be  in  the  neighborhood  of  300  million 
Ibs.  annually,  the  imports  of  China  teas  in  1901  amounted, 
in  round  numbers,  to  15  million  Ibs.,  whereas,  in  1886,  China 
supplied  these  same  markets  with  about  150  million  Ibs.,  and 
in  1882  with  about  211  million  Ibs.  In  1901,  according  to 
statistics,  the  United  States  imported  about  30  million  Ibs.  of 
China  teas;  against  about  54  million  Ibs.  in  1900,  and,  ac- 
cording to  other  statistics,  the  monetary  value  of  the  exports 
of  teas  to  the  United  States  from  the  Chinese  port  of  Shang- 
hai, from  whence  the  greater  portion  of  China  teas  is  shipped, 
decreased  in  1901  to  about  one  and  a  half  million  dollars  from 
about  three  and  a  half  million  dollars  in  1900.  Concerning 
this  enormous  decrease  the  American  Consul  at  Shanghai 
writes  as  follows: 

"The  decrease  in  the  exports  from  China  is  undoubtedly 
accounted  for  by  the  disturbed  political  conditions  in  the 
north  of  China,  especially  Manchuria,  and  by  the  floods  in 
the  Yangtze  Valley.  The  decrease  in  tea-exports,  however,  can 
only  be  accounted  for  by  the  increasing  carelessness  of  prep- 
aration;" and,  in  this  last  sentence,  the  Consul  undoubtedly 
strikes  the  key-note  of  the  present  Chinese  tea-situation  in  so 
far,  at  least,  as  the  United  States  is  concerned. 

Time  was  when  the  teas  of  China  were  in  general  use 
the  world  over,  and  they  were,  for  the  most  part,  of  good  value 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  15 

and  pure.  Of  late  years  the  deterioration  of  many  of  her 
best  known  district  teas,  and  the  adulteration  of  some,  as  well 
as  the  artificial  coloring  or  "facing"  of  others,  has  been  pain- 
fully apparent;  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  it  has  been  the 
means  of  causing  much  speculation  in  tea-circles  as  to  the  fu- 
ture of  China's  export  trade. 

That  the  Chinese  tea-farmer  is  a  past  master  in  the 
science  of  leaf-production,  and  that  he,  and  his  co-worker,  the 
manufacturer,  are  more  than  capable  of  producing,  between 
them,  a  tea  that  is,  beyond  question,  the  world's  very  finest, 
no  one  that  is  at  all  familiar  with  the  subject  will  care  to 
deny,  but,  unfortunately,  the  Chinaman  is  nothing  if  not  the 
pink  of  stubborn  conservativeness,  the  very  essence  of  super- 
cilious egotism,  and  to  this  national  characteristic  the  con- 
tinued lack  of  quality  is  attributable,  although  it  is  extremely 
doubtful  if  the  Chinaman  can  be  blamed  as  the  originator  of 
the  policy  which  was  instrumental  in  lowering  his  tea-qual- 
ities. The  causes  which  led  up  to,  and  are  still  the  means  of 
maintaining  this  unfortunate  state  of  affairs  are  to  be  looked 
for,  and  found,  outside  of  China. 

In  the  first  place  the  introduction,  and  extensive  adver- 
tising, of  British  machine-made  teas  had  the  effect  of  reduc- 
ing prices  to  such  an  extent  that  American  and  particularly 
British  consumers  were  unwilling,  and,  consequently,  the  re- 
tailers and  importers  were  unable,  to  pay  the  prices  which  the 
Chinaman  reasonably  demanded  for  his  superior  product,  and 
he,  accommodating  man  that  he  is,  undertook  to  lower  his 
qualities  so  that  he  could  give  to  the  white  man  an  even  value 
for  the  prices  he  wished  to  pay.  In  the  second  place  the 
steady  decline  in  prices  has  forced  the  producers  to  accept  a 
corresponding  decrease  in  their  percentage  of  profits,  while, 
at  the  same  time,  there  has  been  no  reduction  in  the  specific 
export  duties  and  "likin"  exacted  by  the  Chinese  local  and 
general  Governments.  As  a  result  the  producer  finds  that,  in 


16  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

proportion  to  the  decrease  in  profits,  the  taxation  has  increased 
until  it  has  become  a  grievous  burden. 

In  order  to  meet  the  requirements  of  his  white  clients  and 
to  withstand  the  ever  increasing  burden  of  tribute  to  his  Gov- 
ernment, the  Chinaman  has  been  forced  to  reduce  the  cost  of 
production  in  some  way,  and  he  has  done  it  by  a  reduction 
in  his  cost  of  labor;  hence  a  lesser  care  in  picking,  a  greater 
haste  in  manufacture,  and  a  faultier  preparation  of  the  leaf 
for  ocean  transportation.  And  the  obliging  Oriental  was  even 
willing  to  go  further  than  this  for  the  especial  benefit  of  the 
white  man.  Some  of  the  lowered  qualities  did  not  come  up  to 
the  standard  of  excellence  in  point  erf  style;  did  not  look  so 
well  to  the  eye  as  before ;  so  a  little  Prussian  blue  and  some 
native  clay  worked  through  the  leaf  during  the  process  of 
manufacture  gave  a  brighter  and  better  appearance  to  the 
product,  and  the  white  man  was  satisfied. 

In  accommodating  the  exacting  foreigner,  however,  John 
Chinaman  has  been  guilty  of  a  grave  self-injury,  for  the  effect 
has  been  very  serious  in  so  far  as  his  reputation  and  export 
trade  are  concerned ;  whereas  had  he  resolved  to  stand  manfully 
by  his  guns  and  allow  the  great  superiority  of  his  product  to 
fight  his  battle,  consumers  all  the  world  over,  after  having 
satisfied  themselves  that  the  teas  of  other  countries  were  un- 
equal, would  have  forced  the  retailers,  and  they  the  importers, 
to  come  to  his  terms  and  purchase  his  teas.  Unfortunately 
vast  numbers  of  tea-consumers  know  nothing  of  China's  old 
time  reliable  teas,  and  the  few  that  do  remember  them  are, 
most  likely,  of  the  belief  that  China  can  no  longer  produce 
them,  so  that  the  demand  for,  and  the  supply  of,  inferior  qual- 
ities continues  to  decrease,  and  it  would  appear  to  be  only  a 
question  of  time  before  China  teas  will  disappear  entirely  be- 
fore the  increased  consumption  of  the  better  advertised 
product  of  newer  countries. 

The  danger  which  confronts  China's  export  tea-trade 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  17 

as  a  result  of  the  present  policy  has  beon  presented  to 
the  grower-manufacturers  in  all  its  seriousness,  and  strong 
efforts  have  been  made  to  induce  them  to  produce  only  the 
better  class  teas  and  so  force  their  foreign  customers  to  take 
what  they  have  to  sell  or  none  at  all,  but,  for  reasons  of  their 
own,  they  refuse.  The  European  and  American  exporters  of 
Foo-chow,  Shanghai,  Hankow  and  other  treaty  ports  of  China, 
whose  export  tea-trade  has  suffered  exceedingly  as  a  result, 
are  entirely  without  recourse  and  at  the  mercy  of  the  native 
producers.  For  years  they  have  been  forced  to  witness  a 
steady  decrease  in  trade  and  have  striven  to  rectify  the  mat- 
ter in  every  conceivable  manner  both  at  home  and  abroad. 
They  have  argued  the  case  with  the  producers,  have  protested 
and  even  threatened,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  The  assistance 
of  enlightened  Chinese  merchants,  who  are  equally  well  aware 
of  the  ultimate  result  of  such  a  suicidal  policy,  has  been  en- 
listed and  gladly  given,  but  the  growers  and  manufacturers  of 
the  interior,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they  can  see  an 
annual  diminution  in  the  volume  of  their  foreign  trade,  re- 
main doggedly  impassive  to  the  gravity  of  the  situation  and 
absolutely  refuse  to  change  their  present  methods.  But  they 
are  reasoning  human  beings,  these  tea-manufacturing  China- 
men, and  have,  without  doubt,  considered  the  problem  from 
the  standpoint  of  their  own  immediate  interests.  In  doing 
so  it  is  easily  conceivable  that  they  realize  the  danger  to  the 
future  of  their  foreign  trade  which  their  present  policy  in- 
volves, and  it  is  more  than  possible  that  they  realize  also  that 
they,  as  producers,  stand,  so  to  speak,  between  two  fires. 

On  the  one  hand  they  have  the  demands  of  the  foreign 
importer  to  consider,  who,  in  order  to  satisfy,  in  turn,  the 
insatiable  demand  of  the  retailer  for  a  colossal  profit,  and  that 
of  the  consumer  for  a  cheap  article,  insists  upon  having  a 
quality  and  a  price  that  will  satisfy  both ;  while,  on  the  other 
hand,  should  they,  the  Chinese  producers,  yield  to  the  impor- 


18  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

tunities  of  exporters  and  others,  who  desire  to  see  China  teas 
brought  up  again  to  the  old-time  standard  of  quality  irre- 
spective of  cost,  and  make  teas  as  they  used  to  make  them,  is 
it  not  very  possible  that  an  immediate  market  of  consequence 
would  be  hard  to  find  at  the  higher  costs  ?  "We  are  perfectly 
willing  to  make  teas  of  our  old-time  superior  quality  for  the 
Russians,"  one  can  readily  imagine  them  protesting,  "for  they 
are  always  willing  to  pay  our  reasonable  prices ;  but  the  barba- 
rous foreign  devil  who  insists  upon  having  the  very  cheapest 
he  can  get,  and  knows  no  better  than  to  like  bluestone  and 
gypsum  on  his  tea, — well — anything  is  good  enough  for  such 
as  he" — and,  under  the  circumstances,  the  Chinese  producer 
would  be  more  than  justified  were  he  to  reason  in  just  such 
a  way  as  this. 

The  remedy  for  the  present  evils,  in  so  far  as  Chi- 
nese qualities  in  America  are  concerned,  is  entirely  in 
the  hands  of  the  American  retailer,  who,  should  he  insist 
upon  purchasing  and  selling  to  consumers  high-grade  China 
teas  in  place  of  the  low-grade,  trashy,  and  ofttimes  injurious 
leaf  he  is  now  handling,  can  aid  the  cause  of  healthful  teas ; 
and  the  Chinese  producer,  were  he  sure  of  his  market,  would 
be  more  than  willing  to  supply,  upon  demand,  teas  from 
which  the  most  healthful,  invigorating,  and  pleasing  drink  can 
be  made ;  a  drink  from  leaf  that  no  country,  other  than  China, 
has,  so  far,  been  able  to  equal. 

In  British  markets  the  cause  of  China  teas  appears  to 
be  doomed.  To  the  average  Briton  strength,  thickness,  and 
blackness  of  liquor  appeal  more  urgently  than  fineness, 
aroma,  and  flavor;  and  this,  added  to  the  fact  that  he  raises 
his  own  tea — and  John  Bull  is  nothing  if  not  patriotic — will, 
unless  a  general  revulsion  in  popular  taste  takes  place,  cause 
an  ever  decreasing  demand  for  the  light-bodied,  flavory 
product  of  China. 


THE   TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  1 

In  this  connection,  and  from  a  British  standpoint,  it  may 
be  interesting  to  quote  Mr.  Henry  Norman's  remarks  upon 
China's  loss  of  British  trade.  He  says  in  his  "The  Far  East," 
1895,  "Improvement- in  quality  is  an  absolute  necessity,  but, 
as  the  Commissioner  of  Customs  says,  'China  can  never  hope 
to  produce  a  tea  which  will  compare  with  Indian  according  to 
the  only  standard  which  now  seems  to  be  applicable  in  Eng- 
land; the  standard  of  strength;  the  capacity  to  color  to  a  cer- 
tain point  of  darkness  so  many  gallons  of  water  to  each  pound 
of  tea.3  It  seems  unlikely  that  the  Chinese  will  learn  to  im- 
prove their  qualities  as  that  we  shall  learn  how  to  know  good 
tea  from  bad,  and  how  to  make  it  when  we  have  secured  it." 
"To  every  Eastern  tea-drinker,"  Mr.  Norman  continues,  "the 
tea  served  at  the  best  houses  in  England  would  be  a  horror. 
Nobody  who  has  not  traveled  in  the  East  and  arrived,  after 
a  day's  tramp  through  a  malarious  and  steaming  jungle,  at 
some  poor  Chinaman's  shanty,  and  thankfully  drunk  a  dozen 
cups  of  the  beverage,  freely  offered,  can  know  how  delicious 
and  invigorating  even  the  most  modest  tea  can  be." 

With  the  beginning  of  the  decline  of  China's  trade  with 
-the  peoples  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  there  came  a  demand 
for  her  teas  from  the  Eussian  Empire  which  was,  in  a  great 
measure,  destined  to  offset  the  loss. 

The  tea-trade  of  China  with  Eussia  has  existed  for  over 
two  hundred  years,  but,  within  the  last  two  or  three  decades, 
this  trade  has  increased  enormously,  reaching  latterly,  accord- 
ing to  a  recent  statement  of  the  Dutch  Consul  at  Warsaw,  the 
huge  total  of  fifty-three  million  kilogs.  a  year.  A  kilog. 
equals  2.21  Ibs.,  avoirdupois,  so  that  China's  present  tea- 
trade  with  the  White  Czar's  Empire  is,  in  round  figures,  equal 
to  117  million  Ibs.  annually.  This  includes  the  very  finest 
leaf  produced,  as  well  as  the  coarser  varieties  made  into  bricks 
which  are  intended  for  the  consumption  of  Siberians,  the 
poorer  classes  of  Eussians,  and  Eussian  Asiatics. 


20  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

The  best  teas  required  for  consumption  in  Russia — for 
the  Russian  is  very  particular  about  the  quality  of  his  tea — 
are  manufactured  and  packed  with  exceeding  care,  and  are 
now  sent  by  steamer  to  the  Black  Sea  port  of  Odessa,  while 
the  coarser  varieties,  after  having  been  powdered  and  com- 
pressed into  tablet  and  brick  form — known  commercially  as 
"Tablet-"  and  "Brick-Tea"— are  despatched  overland  by 
means  of  camel  caravans.  Brick-tea,  although  sent  by  cara- 
van, is  not  what  is  known  as  "Russian  Caravan  Tea,"  for  the 
latter  is  an  extremely  high-grade,  specially  prepared  black  tea, 
which  the  Russians  carry  overland  by  camel  caravan  in  order 
to  prevent  the  deterioration  consequent  upon  a  long  ocean 
voyage. 

In  spite  of  the  gigantic  inroads  which  India,  Ceylon, 
and  Japan  have  made  in  her  export  trade,  China  continues  to 
be,  by  far,  the  world's  largest  producer  of  the  tea-leaf,  and  she 
is  likely  to  occupy  that  position  for  all  time,  so  long,  at  least, 
as  her  enormous  native  population  continues  to  confine  itself 
to  tea  as  a  national  beverage.  The  competition  of  other  tea- 
producing  countries  may  cause  her  to  still  further  hurt  her 
export  trade  by  inducing  the  production  of  an  inferior,  or  of 
an  adulterated  leaf  in  order  to  meet  the  lowering  prices  which 
extreme  competition  is  likely  to  bring  about,  but  even  the  loss 
of  all  her  foreign  trade  would  be  little  felt  by  her  farmer- 
growers  with  such  a  home  market  as  is  hers ;  a  market  which 
supplies  a  tea-consuming  population  estimated  to  be  in  the 
neighborhood  of  four  hundred  million  souls. 

The  year  1902  has  witnessed  a  large  increase  in  the  im- 
portations of  China  teas  by  the  United  States.  It  is  quite 
likiihr,  however,  that  the  unnatural  conditions  which  existed 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  year,  and  caused  by  the  expec- 
tations of  an  increased  business  after  the  abolition  of  the  war 
tax  on  teas  on  December  31st,  1902,  have  had  much  to  do 


A    TEA    PLANTATION    IN    CHINA. 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  21 

with  this  increase,  for  it  cannot  be  said  that  any  part  of  it  is 
due  to  an  improvement  in  quality. 

According  to  the  Bureau  of  Statistics  of  the  United 
States  Treasury  Department  the  importations  of  China  teas 
for  the  last  three  years  were  as  follows : 

In  1900 54,111,195  Ibs. 

In  1901 ' 30,352,239  Ibs. 

In  1902 60,837,270  Ibs. 

Tea-plantations  in  China  are,  in  most  part,  unworthy  of 
the  name,  for  they  are  rarely  more  than  little  patches  of  the 
shrub,  cared  for  by  small  farmers,  who  raise  and  cultivate 
the  plants,  pick  and  partially  cure  the  leaves,  and,  in  this  con- 
dition, sell  them  to  the  traveling  factors  or  "tea-men"  who 
are  sent  out,  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  the  leaf,  by  the 
"hong,"  or  tea-factory  owners  of  the  local  interior  cities. 
Upon  arrival  at  the  hong  the  collective  product  of  the  dis- 
trict, thus  gathered  together,  is  fully  prepared  for  market 
and  is  stored  to  await  the  orders  of  the  brokers  who  represent 
the  hongs  in  the  great  sales-mart  to  which  the  district  is 
tributary.  This  system  is  quite  similar  to  the  one  in  vogue 
in  our  own  wheat-producing  states.  The  wheat-broker  or 
buyer  visits  the  farms  of  a  district ;  bargains  with  the  farmers ; 
sends  the  collective  purchase  to  the  elevator  company,  from 
whose  bins  it  is,  in  due  season,  shipped  to  the  flouring  mills. 

The  Chinese  tiller  of  the  soil  occupies  an  unique  position 
among  his  fellow  men.  However  small  his  farm  may  be,  he 
is  still  a  farmer,  and,  as  such,  he  is  highly  esteemed  and  his 
occupation  honored  throughout  the  land.  He  is  looked  upon 
as  being  the  real  producer  and,  in  consequence,  his  work  is 
considered  to  be  much  more  meritorious  than  that  of  the  me- 
chanic and  more  honorable  than  that  of  the  merchant  who 
merely  handles  the  product  for  profit  and  distributes  it  to 
consumers.  From  time  immemorial  emperors  and  nobles  have 


22  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

paid  homage  to  the  husbandry  of  the  land  and,  at  a  certain 
season  each  year,  it  is  customary  for  the  reigning  monarch, 
aided  by  his  nobles,  to  pay  tribute  to  the  husbandman's  craft 
by  taking  plow  in  hand,  running  a  few  furrows  and  sowing 
some  seed. 

Tea-farms  in  China,  although  mostly  very  small,  vary 
in  size  as  well  as  in  ownership.  The  owner  of  from  three  to 
five  acres  of  land  is  looked  upon  as  being  beyond  the  fear 
of  ordinary  need,  while  the  owner  of  ten  acres  or  more  is 
considered  to  be  in  extremely  comfortable  circumstances.  The 
entire  farm  of  many  Chinese  tea-growers  is  quite  frequently 
of  such  small  extent  that  it  would  hardly  suffice  to  make  an 
ordinary  house-orchard  for  a  prosperous  American  farmer. 
Upon  this  little  patch,  however,  John  Chinaman  grows  his 
crop  of  tea -leaves  and,  in  addition,  manages  to  raise  a  suf- 
ficiency of  garden-truck  upon  which  to  support  his  family. 
In  many  cases  the  land  is  rented  from  the  district  mandarin, 
or  other  owner,  whose  rent  must  be  paid  out  of  the  proceeds 
of  the  product,  but  so  very  closely  is  every  foot  of  soil  worked, 
so  carefully  are  individual  plants  tended,  and  so  economical  is 
the  farmer  and  his  family  in  every  way  that  he  manages  to 
eke  out  a  fair  living  withal,  and  his  Icrt  is  not,  altogether,  an 
unhappy  one. 

Each  tea-farm  is  cultivated  by  the  farmer,  assisted  by 
his  family,  and  extreme  care  is  usually  exercised  in  all  that 
pertains  to  the  production  of  a  good,  cleanly  leaf.  In  cases 
where  the  farmer  has  no  family  and  is  too  poor,  as  frequently 
happens,  to  employ  labor  to  harvest  his  crop,  he  sells  it,  as  it 
stands  upon  the  bushes,  to  the  factor,  who  undertakes  the 
task  of  picking,  semi-preparing,  and  shipping. 

The  small  tea-garden  patches  are  usually  situated  upon 
sloping  ground  at  the  foot  of  hills  where  a  natural  drainage  is 
obtainable,  such  drainage  being  essential  in  a  climate  which 
is  subject  to  an  exceedingly  heavy  rainfall. 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  23 

"A  plantation  of  tea,"  says  Mr.  Fortune,  "when  seen 
at  a  distance,  looks  like  a  little  shrubbery  of  evergreens.  As 
the  traveler  threads  his  way  amongst  the  rocky  scenery,  he  is 
continually  coming  upon  these  plantations  which  are  dotted 
upon  the  sides  of  all  the  hills.  The  leaves  are  of  a  rich  dark- 
green  and  afford  a  pleasing  contrast  to  the  strange  and  often 
barren  scenery  which  is  everywhere  around."  In  the  Bohea 
mountains,  a  great  and  wonderfully  beautiful  range  which 
partially  separates  two  of  the  greatest  tea-producing  provinces 
of  China,  Kiang-see  and  Fu-Kien;  a  high  grade  black  tea 
is  raised  and  made  by  Buddhist  monks  and  Taouist  priests 
"whose  numerous  monasteries  and  temples,"  says  Miss  Gor- 
don-Gumming, "nestle  in  the  most  picturesque  fashion  among 
the  huge  rocks  of  the  famous  Woo-e-shan.  Many  of  these  tem- 
ples are  perched  on  summits  of  perpendicular  precipices  which, 
seen  from  the  river  below,  appear  to  be  wholly  inaccessible. 
The  tea-gardens  where  these  agricultural  brethren  toil  so  dili- 
gently are  most  irregular  patches  of  ground  of  every  size  and 
shape,  scattered  here,  there  and  everywhere  among  these 
rocky  mountains,  but,  like  all  Chinese  gardening,  tea-cultiva- 
tion is  exquisitely  neat  and  the  multitude  of  curiously  clipped 
little  bushes  have  a  curiously  formal  appearance  in  contrast 
with  the  reckless  manner  in  which  nature  has  tossed  about  the 
fragments  of  her  shattered  mountains."  Large  quantities  of 
tea  are  annually  raised  by  the  thousands  of  agricultural 
monks  and  priests  of  this  far-famed  district  (Woo-e-shan), 
but,  of  the  hundreds  of  millions  of  pounds  of  tea  produced 
each  year  in  China,  the  greater  portion  is  the  work  of  her  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  small  farmer-growers,  to  whose  remark- 
able care  in  the  cultivation  of  their  small  gardens  can  be 
attributed  the  superiority  of  Chinese  teas. 

The  principal  tea-growing  lands  of  the  country  are  situ- 
ated in  the  great  Yang-tze  basin  of  central  China,  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  fertile  valleys  of  the  world.  It  embraces  some 


24  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

of  the  east-central,  central,  and  west-central  provinces  of  the 
Empire  and  is  drained  by  the  great  Yang-tze-Kiang  Eiver 
and  its  numerous  tributaries. 

In  spots  throughout  this  enormous  stretch  of  country  are 
to  be  found  innumerable  tea-districts  more  or  less  notorious 
as  producers  of  high,  medium,  or  poor  grade  leaf,  and  these 
districts  produce  either  green  or  black  teas  exclusively  accord- 
ing to  the  species  of  plant  raised  and  to  the  custom  of  the 
growers  and  manufacturers.  The  black  teas  of  China  are 
mainly  produced  in  the  tea-districts  of  the  province  of 
Fu-Kien  on  the  south-east  sea-board  and  in  those  of  the  cen- 
tral provinces  of  Kiang-see,  Hupeh  and  Hunan;  while  the 
districts  of  the  province  Che-Kiang  on  the  extreme  east- 
central  coast  and  those  of  the  adjoining  provinces  oLXiranhwri 
and  part  of  Kiang-see  are  responsible  for  the  supply  of  China's 
green  teas.  The  south-eastern  province  of  Kwang-tung,  in 
which  is  situated  the  city  of  Canton,  produces  leaf  which  is 
manufactured  at  Canton  into  either  the  green  or  black  sorts, 
scented,  spurious,  adulterated,  or  otherwise,  according  to 
demand. 

Part  of  the  province  Sze-chuen  in  the  west,  adjoining 
Thibet,  produces  tea  of  both  colors,  but  its  output  is  mainly 
distributed  throughout  central  Asia  and  in  the  form  of  brick- 
tea. 

China  Ooloong  teas  are  produced  mainly  in  the  provinces 
of  Fu-kien  and  Kiang-see,  in  the  former  of  which  are  situ- 
ated the  well  known  cities  of  Foo-chow  and  Amoy  which 
give  their  names  to  many  kinds  of  China  Ooloongs  and  Con- 
gous owing  to  the  fact  that  the  teas  receive  final  manipulation 
there  and  are  shipped  abroad  from  these  sea-ports. 

A  glance  at  the  map  of  China  will  show  that  these  tea- 
producing  provinces  are  contiguous,  include  quite  a  little 
mountain  land,  and  are  well  watered  by  numerous  rivers  and 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  25 

streams  which  empty  into  the  Yang-tze-Kiang  and  Canton 
Rivers. 

From  China  the  cultivation  of  the  tea-plant  extended 
to  the  adjacent  island  Empire  of 

JAPAN. 

whose  inhabitants  acquired  a  taste  for  the  delicious  beverage, 
and  its  use,  eventually,  became  national  as  in  China. 

Japan,  although  the  second  greatest  producer  of  the 
tea-leaf,  occupies  the  somewhat  unique  position  of  having, 
practically  speaking,  but  one  foreign  market  for  her  teas. 
China  teas,  India  teas,  Ceylon  teas,  and  others,  find  mar- 
kets, great  or  small,  in  all  of  the  tea-drinking  countries  of 
the  world,  but  the  tea  of  Japan  finds  an  outside  market,  of 
any  consequence,  in  the  United  States  and  Canada  only. 

For  many  centuries  this  wonderful  little  island  Empire, 
like  her  immediate  neighbor,  China,  raised  and  cultivated  the 
tea-plant  for  home  consumption;  her  inherent  dislike  for 
all  peoples  and  things  foreign  debarring  a  search  for  out- 
side markets,  notwithstanding  the  enormous  possibilities 
which  such  markets  could  afford  in  trade  and  profit. 

From  the  discovery  of  Japan  by  the  Portuguese  in  1542 
until  the  year  1854,  the  foreign  trade  of  the  Empire,  both 
import  and  export,  was  subject  to  the  whims  and  pleasure 
of  the  existing  rulers.  Periods  of  intercourse  and  trade 
with  Christian  nations  were  followed  by  periods  of  prohibi- 
tion and  even  persecution,  until  in  1854  the  United  States 
expedition  under  Commodore  Perry  effected  an  awakening; 
and  the  new  era  thus  established  has  improved  rapidly  with 
the  years,  until  it  now  appears  to  be,  both  socially  and  com- 
mercially, destined  to  last  forever. 

During  the  intermittent  periods  of  commercial  inter- 
course with,  and  exclusion  of  outside  nations,  Japan  raised 


26  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

no  tea  for  export,  although  the  plant  was  extensively  culti- 
vated in  different  parts  of  the  Empire.  With  the  opening  of 
the  treaty  ports  by  Commodore  Perry,  the  exportation  of 
tea  to  the  United  States  began,  and  the  trade  has  been  so 
fostered  by  the  establishment  oi  European  and  American  "go- 
downs" — as  the  tea-preparing  establishments  are  called — at 
shipping  ports,  and  by  the  ever-increasing  demand  by  the 
Pacific  coast  and  Central  states  of  this  country  and  of 
Canada  for  the  teas,  that  a  truly  wonderful  trade  has  re- 
sulted. 

Once  introduced,  the  light  body  and  delicate  flavor  of 
Japan  teas  quickly  captured  the  fancy  of  Western  Americans, 
and,  from  a  small  beginning  a  half-century  ago,  the  trade 
has  grown  apace,  until  today  the  consumption  oi  the  green 
teas  of  Japan  in  the  United  States  amounts  to  about  35 
million  pounds  annually,  or  about  40  per  cent,  of  the  entire 
annual  consumption  of  the  nation. 

For  some  years  past  British-Indian  enterprise  has 
attempted,  by  means  of  extensive  and  costly  advertising,  to 
displace  the  green  teas  of  Japan  and  China  in  the  American 
market,  and  gain  a  favor  for  the  black  product  of  India 
and  Ceylon.  Ten  years  or  more  of  costly  effort  has  proved 
to  them,  however,  that  the  American  consumer  is  not  to 
be  easily  weaned  from  his  love  for  the  light  and  flavory  Mon- 
golian cup  in  favor  of  the  heavy  and  pungent  beverage  of  the 
Englishman;  and  now,  acting  upon  the  principle  that  if  the 
mountain  will  not  come  to  Mahomet,  Mahomet  must  go  to  the 
mountain,  these  enterprising  merchants  are  using  every  effort 
to  produce  a  green  tea  from  Indian  and  Ceylon  leaf  which 
will  resemble  the  product  of  Japan  in  style  and  cup;  and, 
with  such  teas,  attempt  to  make  the  capture  which  their  black 
teas  failed  to  accomplish. 

In  the  meantime  the  progressive  merchants  and  growers 
of  Japan  are  not  asleep,  and,  aided  by  their  Government,  are 


THE   TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  27 

quite  likely  to  prove  as  aggressively  intelligent  and  active  in 
the  defense  of  their  position  as  the  British  can  be  in  their  ef- 
forts to  capture  it.  During  the  earlier  years  of  the  coming 
trade-warfare  the  American  importer  and  dealer  will  watch 
the  progress  of  events  with  the  keenest  attention,  for,,  although 
uninterested,  as  yet,  as  far  as  production  and  manufacture 
are  concerned,  their  financial  interests  and  trade  are  likely  to 
be  affected,  one  way  or  the  other,  by  the  efforts  of  offense  and 
defense. 

It  is  somewhat  surprising  that  Japan  has,  so  far,  been 
unable  to  establish  a  trade  for  her  teas  on  the  continent  of  Eu- 
rope, for  there  can  be  no  question  as  to  the  quality  of  her 
product.  It  may  be  accounted  for,  however,  by  the  fact  that 
the  European  demand,  like  that  of  Great  Britain,  is  almost 
entirely  for  the  highly  fermented  black  sorts  of  China,  India, 
Ceylon,  and  Java,  which  Japan  does  not  appear  to  be  able  to 
produce  or  imitate  successfully,  although  repeated  efforts  have 
been  made  by  her  manufacturers  in  this  direction.  It  is  not 
easy  to  create  a  demand  for  an  article  that  is  altogether 
different  in  appearance  and  flavor  to  the  one  in  favored 
use,  and  for  this  reason,  notwithstanding  the  acknowl- 
edged merit  of  their  product,  the  Japanese  merchants, 
should  they  ever  make  the  attempt,  are  quite  likely  to  find  it  as 
difficult  to  influence  European  tastes  and  opinions  as  the  Brit- 
ish found  it  in  America.  In  the  United  States,  however,  Ja- 
pan's foothold  is  exceptionally  strong  and,  so  long  as  her  grow- 
ers and  manufacturers  produce  the  meritorious  qualities  they 
are  now  exporting,  but  little  fear  for  the  future  of  their  Amer- 
ican trade  may  be  anticipated. 

The  year  1902  showed  an  increase  in  the  exports  of  Japan 
teas  to  the  United  States  of  nearly  5  million  Ibs.  over  1901, 
although  the  exports  of  1901  fell  below  those  of  1900  some 
3  million  Ibs.  Altogether,  for  the  last  few  years,  the  exporta- 
tion of  Japan  teas  appears  to  remain  close  to  the  33  million 


28  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

lb.  mark,  which  is,  at  least,  three-fourths  of  Japan's  total  ex- 
port trade  in  teas. 

According  to  the  Bureau  of  Statistics  of  the  United  States 
Treasury  Department  the  importations  of  Japan  teas  for  the 
last  three  years  were  as  follows  : 

In  1900 33,261,387  Ibs. 

In  1901 30,385,675  Ibs. 

In  1902 34,578,325  Ibs. 

As  in  China,  the  tea-plantations  of  Japan  are  mostly  lit- 
tle spots  of  land  cultivated  by  the  owners.  In  the  larger  tea- 
districts  of  the  country  many  of  these  tea-gardens  adjoin  and 
"spreading  away  over  the  gently  rolling  land,  frequently  by 
the  side  of  the  yellow-green  rice  fields,  present,  in  summer,  an 
exceedingly  pleasant  aspect,  with  their  foliage  of  dark-green, 
especially  if  the  picture  is  still  further  enlivened  by  women  and 
children  in  their  gay,  clean  clothes,  busily  picking  the  leaves." 

Great  care  is  exercised  by  the  Japanese  growers  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  plant,  for,  like  the  Chinese  farmers,  they 
take  a  particular  pride  in  the  product  of  their  little  farm, 
and  to  the  finished  leaf  they  proudly  apply  a  fanciful  or  poetic 
name  such  as  "jewelled  dew,"  etc. 

Since  the  opening  of  Japan  to  the  trade  of  the  world  in 
1854,  the  cultivation  of  the  tea-plant  lias  increased  quite  rap- 
idly; and,  as  the  exportation  of  the  leaf  to  the  United  States 
and  Canada  increased,  new  lands  were,  and  are  being,  laid 
out  as  tea-gardens,  where  the  plant  was  never  raised  before. 
The  cultivation  of  the  plant  is  carried  on  in  Japan  much  as 
it  is  done  in  China;  the  ground  is  just  as  carefully  worked 
and  kept,  and  the  plants  are  as  well  and  as  scientifically 
tended.  Many  centuries  of  the  most  careful  husbandry  have 
taught  the  Japanese  farmer  the  art  of  cultivation,  and  in  the 
sciences  of  irrigation  and  fertilization  he  is  an  adept,  and,  as 
a  result,  the  arable  land  of  the  Empire  has  been  brought  to 


THE  TEA  GARDENS   OF  THE  WORLD.  29 

a  very  high  state  of  perfection.  In  China  tea-land  is  rarely, 
if  ever,  manured,  for  the  Chinaman  fears  for  the  flavor  of  his 
product,  and  justly  so,  for  the  fish-guano,  oil-cake,  manure 
and  other  strong- smelling  fertilizers,  which  are  in  use  in  the 
coast  districts  of  Japan,  are  responsible  for  the  "fishy"  flavor 
in  the  liquor  so  frequently  recognized  by  experts  at  the  tea- 
table  when  testing  the  lower  grades  of  Japan  teas. 

Tea  is  grown  in  nearly  all  of  the  provinces  of  Japan  south 
of  the  Tsugaru  Strait,  which  separates  the  main  island,  Nip- 
pon or  Hondo,  from  the  northern  island  Yezo  or  Ezo,  al- 
though in  widely  varying  quantities.  The  greater  producing 
districts  are  situated  in  the  central  part  of  the  main  island, 
between  the  thirty-fourth  and  thirty-sixth  degrees  of  north 
latitude,  and,  in  quality,  as  well  as  in  the  quantity  produced, 
these  great  central  tea-districts  are  far  in  advance  of  the  out- 
lying districts.  The  old  centre  of  tea-culture  in  Japan  is  said 
to  be  situated  at  the  southern  end  of  Biwa  Lake,  and  from 
this  centre  the  industry  has  extended  until  it  embraces  most 
of  the  provinces  situated  between  the  130th  and  140th  de- 
grees of  east  longitude,  having  for  distributing  points  for 
foreign  markets  the  twin  cities  Hiogo-Kobe  on  the  west,  and 
Yokohama  on  the  east,  the  enormous  increase  in  growing  terri- 
tory being  mainly  due  to  the  ever  increasing  American  demand 
for  the  product. 

The  tea-shrub  is  cultivated  also  in  favored  spots  in  the 
provinces  bordering  the  Japan  sea ;  and  in  the  southern  island 
of  Kiushui  many  acres  are  set  apart  for  the  cultivation  of  the 
shrub,  but  the  product  of  these  outlying  districts  is  raised, 
mainly,  for  home  consumption. 

Japan  leaf,  irrespective  of  district,  is  made  into  the 
familiar  kinds  as  we  know  them,  but  parcels  of  teas  made  into 
an  imitation  of  the  Chinese  black  and  green  sorts,  such  as 
Congous,  Ooloongs,  and  Gunpowders,  are  sometimes  to  be  met 
with  in  American  markets.  The  Japanese  Government  has  en- 


30  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

deavored  to  foster  the  production  of  such  makes,  but,  so  far, 
the  success  erf  the  makers  has  been  limited.  With  an  energy 
worthy  of  its  later  history  the  Japanese  Government  has  done 
much  to  aid  the  tea-industry  at  home,  and  the  distribution  of 
the  product  abroad,  and  to-day,  many  native  companies  have 
established  agencies  for  the  sale  of  teas,  as  well  as  for  the  fur- 
therance of  the  cause  of  Japan  teas  generally,  in  many  of  the 
larger  markets  of  this  country  and  of 

INDIA. 

British  India,  the  next  on  the  list  of  the  great  tea-gardens 
of  the  world,  has  forged  her  way  towards  the  front  with  tre- 
mendous strides  during  the  last  thirty-odd  years. 

About  seventy-six  years  ago — in  1826 — the  tea-plant  was 
discovered,  growing  wild,  apparently,  in  the  great  virgin  for- 
ests of  Upper  Assam;  a  province  in  the  north-east  corner  of 
India,  but  which,  at  that  time,  formed  part  of  the  Burmese 
Empire.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  first  Burmese  war,  in  1829, 
Assam  was  annexed  to  British  India,  and  its  hill  and  plain 
countries  have  since  become  famous  as  the  greatest  tea-produc- 
ing districts  of  India.  This  discovery  of  the  wild  tea-shrub  or 
tree  has  given,  to  Anglo-Indian  growers  and  others,  grounds 
upon  which  to  base  the  claim  for  India  as  the  original  home  of 
the  shrub,  a  claim  which  must  be  left,  however,  to  future  sci- 
entists for  verification  or  denial.  The  discovery  is  accredited 
to  a  Mr.  C.  A.  Bruce,  who,  in  his  account,  mentions  the  location 
of  120  tea-tracts,  both  in  the  hills  and  on  the  plains,  some  of 
which  were  very  extensive.  The  discovery,  very  naturally,  cre- 
ated considerable  interest,  and  the  attention  of  the  Government 
was  attracted.  In  1834  the  Governor  General  of  India,  Lord 
Wm.  Bentinck,  urged  the  importance  of  tea-culture,  and  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  investigate,  and  to  form  plans  for  in- 
troducing the  shrub  into  such  districts  of  India  as  seemed  best 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  31 

suited  to  its  cultivation.  Under  Government  auspices  nurse- 
ries were  established  in  Assam,  and  Chinese  seed  and  growing 
plants  were  imported  for  experimental  purposes,  but,  for  sev- 
eral years,  the  progress  made  was  slow  and  unsatisfactory,  and 
the  reports  returned  from  England,  upon  samples  of  manufac- 
tured tea  sent,  were  not  of  an  encouraging  nature.  In  1837 
the  Indian  Government  imported  skilled  Chinese  labor  (tea- 
makers  and  culturists)  and,  under  the  direction  of  the  skilled 
labor  so  imported,  good  progress  was  made,  so  much  so,  indeed, 
that  teas  sent  to  England  in  1838  were  reported  to  be  of  excel- 
lent quality  and  commanded  high  prices  in  the  London  market. 
About  this  time  the  attention  of  capitalists  and  speculators  was 
attracted  by  the  great  possibilities  of  tea-culture  in  India,  and, 
in  1839,  the  Assam  Tea  Company  was  formed  under  the 
patronage  of  the  English  East  India  Company.  Believing  that 
the  future  of  the  industry  was  then  in  good  hands,  the  Gov- 
ernment retired,  after  having  transferred  its  experimental  gar- 
dens, growing  plants,  and  nurseries  to  the  tea-company.  In 
1850  the  East  India  Company  sent  Mr.  Eobert  Fortune,  a  sci- 
entist of  renown,  to  China  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  tea- 
seeds,  growing  plants,  etc.,  and  of  obtaining  all  the  information 
regarding  Chinese  methods  of  culture  and  manufacture 
that  it  was  possible  to  gather.  This  gentleman,  familiar  with 
the  Chinese  language,  and  dressed  as  a  Chinaman,  succeeded  in 
penetrating  into  the  most  inaccessible  parts  of  the  Flowery 
Kingdom,  and  brought  back  with  him  to  India  many  thousand 
specimens  of  growing  plants  and  seeds,  together  with  much 
valuable  information  and  some  native  tea-makers  and  cultur- 
ists. So  great  was  his  success,  and  so  valuable  was  the  infor- 
mation obtained,  that  he  was  again  sent  to  other  parts  of 
China,  and,  a  year  or  two  after  his  return  from  this  second 
successful  expedition,  his  services,  for  a  similar  purpose,  were 
enlisted  by  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  which,  at 


32  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

that  time — about  1857 — was  seriously  considering  the  possi- 
bilities of  tea-culture  in  the  Southern  States. 

Little  progress  was  made,  however,  for  several  years, 
owing  to  the  scant  favor  with  which  the  teas  were  received  in 
England.  Further  experiments  were  then  undertaken,  and 
efforts  made  to  overcome  the  cause  of  so  much  disapprobation 
in  the  home  country.  The  virgin  forest-land,  with  its  damp, 
fertile  soil,  covering  a  sandy  loam,  was  proved  to  be  partic- 
ularly favorable  to  the  growth  of  the  shrub,  but  the  seeds  and 
plants  imported  from  China,  while  producing  a  hardy  plant, 
gave  a  leaf  of  inferior  quality.  Crosses  between  the  native 
Indian  plant  and  that  of  Chinese  origin  were  then  tried,  and 
the  result  was  the  production  of  a  leaf  that  gave  satisfaction 
to  English  consumers,  and  overcame  the  home  prejudice  in  a 
great  measure. 

A  season  of  great  activity  was  then  inaugurated  in  India. 
During  the  years  1863  to  1865  Calcutta  went  wild  in  a  mad 
speculation  over  tea-lands.  Large  tracts  of  country  were 
purchased  by  speculators  and  sold  to  English  limited  liability 
companies  at  colossal  figures.  In  England  the  stock  of  the 
numerous  companies  was  eagerly  purchased,  but,  eventually, 
the  bubble  burst,  and,  as  a  writer  of  the  period  puts  it,  "for 
a  time  the  very  name  of  tea-cultivation  fell  into  immeasured 
odium,"  so  much  so,  indeed,  was  this  the  case  that  plantations, 
which  had  cost  the  companies  vast  sums  of  money,  were  re- 
sold for  whatever  price  they  would  bring. 

The  end  of  the  craze  was  brought  about  in  1866-67,  and, 
at  that  time,  a  few  capitalists,  realizing  that  the  possibilities 
for  tea-culture  in  India  were  boundless,  and  that  the  future 
of  the  industry  could  not  always  be  influenced  by  the  bitter 
feeling  that  existed  against  it,  quietly  purchased  the  more  con- 
veniently located  estates  and  proceeded  to  develop  them  upon 
scientific  principles.  Overcoming  the  many  primary  diffi- 
culties which  beset  their  path  as  planters,  these  capitalists 


THE  TEA  GARDENS   OP  THE  WORLD.  33 

quickly  proved  their  position,  and  it  was  not  long  before  tea- 
plantations  were  laid  out  in  other  parts  of  the  peninsular  Em- 
pire, the  acreage  increasing  annually,  until  today,  gardens,  in 
a  flourishing  condition,  are  to  be  found  in  all  parts  of  the 
country  where  soil  and  climate  have  been  proved  suitable  for 
the  propagation  of  the  plant. 

From  the  date  of  the  introduction  of  tea  into  Europe  until 
the  year  1869,  China  and,  later  on,  Japan  enjoyed  a  monopoly 
of  the  tea-export  trade.  In  that  year  India  had  passed  the 
experimental  stage ;  had  overcome  the  innumerable  difficulties 
and  serious  drawbacks  which  had  beset  her  path ;  and  had  en- 
tered the  field  as  a  competitor  for  the  tea-trade  of  the  nations, 
and,  with  an  Anglo-Saxon  perseverance,  vim,  and  energy,  her 
planters  have,  at  this  time,  not  only  succeeded  in  supplanting 
China  in  the  British  and  British-Colonial  markets,  but  have 
also  gained  a  foothold  in  other  European  and  American  mar- 
kets which  is  yearly  gaining  in  strength. 

The  tea-gardens  of  India,  like  those  of  Ceylon  and  other 
British  countries  where  the  plant  is  cultivated,  are  usually 
owned  and  operated  by  British  stock  companies,  and,  under 
such  circumstances,  it  is  not  at  all  surprising  that  the  product 
of  the  vast  tea-estates — as  the  plantations  are  called — should 
find  a  preference  in  the  home  countries  of  the  British  Islands 
and  the  Colonies.  The  same  determination  which  surmounted 
the  initial  difficulties  of  tea-culture  in  India  and  Ceylon,  and 
which,  so  quickly,  succeeded  in  destroying  the  British  tea- 
trade  of  China,  is  now  at  work  in  an  effort  to  capture  the 
markets  of  the  United  States,  but  it  is  not  possible  to  predict 
what  the  success  will  be.  The  business  energy  and  acumen 
of  the  Anglo-Indian  tea-grower,  blender,  exporter,  and  broker 
we  cannot  but  admire.  We  are  of  his  race,  and  our  business 
methods  are  similar  to  his.  His  inventions  of  machinery  for 
the  purpose  of  saving  labor  in  every  stage  of  the  preparation 


34  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

of  the  tea-leaf  for  market;  his  superior  manner  of  packing; 
his  up-to-date  business  methods  and  unlimited  capital  are 
advantages  which  combine  in  his  favor,  and,  in  the  race  for 
supremacy,  will  surely  count  heavily  against  all  competition. 
The  coming  contest  of  the  tea-producing  nations  for  the 
future  trade  of  the  United  States,  however,  is  not  at  all  likely 
to  end  in  such  an  easy  and  overwhelming  victory  for  Anglo- 
Indian  enterprise  as  it  did  in  Great  Britain  and  in  the  Brit- 
ish Colonies.  China,  it  must  be  admitted,  unless  aroused  by 
the  exigencies  of  the  situation,  can  hardly  be  expected  to  pro- 
tect herself  with  any  great  amount  of  opposition,  but  pug- 
nacious Japan  will  never  yield  a  single  inch  of  her  position 
without  offering  a  prolonged  and  bitter  struggle.  The  fact, 
also,  that  China  and  Japan  teas  are  very  much  more  popular 
with  American  consumers  than  the  heavy,  pungent  product 
of  Indian  and  Ceylon  manufacture  can  ever  hope  to  be  will 
prove  a  serious  impediment  in  the  way  of  the  success  of  the 
Anglo-Indian,  so  that,  in  spite  of  the  numerous  advantages 
which  he  undoubtedly  possesses,  there  are  serious  considera- 
tions and  many  difficulties  which  he  will  do  well  to  contem- 
plate before  assuring  himself  that  the  markets  of  the  United 
States  may  be  easily  carried  by  storm. 

Tea-plantations — or  estates  as  they  are  locally  called — 
are  now  quite  numerous  in  India  and  Ceylon,  and,  unlike 
those  of  China  and  Japan,  are  of  vast  extent,  covering,  at  once, 
from  200  to  500  acres  and  more.  A  tea-estate  in  these  coun- 
tries, is,  from  its  inception,  an  up-to-date,  business-like  propo- 
sition, and  everything,  from  the  planting  of  the  seed  to  the 
packing  of  the  tea-chests,  is  done  within  its  confines.  Cheap 
Indian  and  Singhalese  male  and  female  labor  is  employed  in 
the  planting,  cultivating,  plucking,  and  packing;  and  ma- 
chinery, especially  designed  and  built  for  the  purpose,  is  used 
in  all  stages  of  the  preparation  of  the  leaf  for  market. 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  35 

These  vast  estates  have  been,  in  most  part,  reclaimed 
from  the  rich  jungle-lands  of  India,  and  from  ruined  coffee- 
estates,  as  well  as  from  cleared  jungle-lands  in  Ceylon,  and, 
in  point  of  appearance,  present  that  neatness,  regularity,  and 
business-like  precision  which  could  be  expected  from  the  char- 
acter of  men  that  manage  them. 

In  the  earlier  days  of  the  industry  in  India  the  methods 
in  use  by  the  Chinese,  in  so  far  as  cultivation  and  preparation 
are  concerned,  were  followed,  and  hand-labor  for  all  purposes 
was  employed.  The  enormous  demand,  however,  which  was 
ultimately  created  for  the  product  in  Great  Britain  and  else- 
where, urged  the  planters  to  adopt  more  modern  and  speedier 
methods  of  preparation,  and  the  necessity  thus  arising, 
steam-machinery  was  invented  to  take  the  place  of  hand- 
labor  in  the  various  stages  of  preparation,  and  in  packing. 
As  far  as  locality  is  concerned  the  tea-districts  of  India  are 
widely  separated  owing  to  the  necessary  conditions  of  climate, 
soil,  altitude,  etc.  The  earlier  estates,  as  was  quite  natural, 
were  laid  out  in  a  country  where  the  wild  tea-tree  was  dis- 
covered, that  is  to  say  in  the  hill-country  of  Assam,  a  prov- 
ince of  the  Himalaya  regions  in  the  north-eastern  corner  of 
the  Empire,  adjoining  Burmah  on  the  south,  the  Chinese  prov- 
ince of  Yunnan  on  the  east,  and  Thibet  on  the  north. 

For  some  years  this  north-eastern  section  produced  the 
entire  Indian  tea-crop,  but  the  increasing  demand  of  subse- 
quent years  forced  a  search  for  other  suitable  lands,  which 
were  found,  as  time  went  by,  in  the  western  and  north- 
western parts  of  Assam,  from  whence  the  industry  gradually 
extended  along  the  hill  and  plain  country  to  the  west,  and 
into  the  -valley  and  foot-hill  lands  of  the  southern  slopes  of 
the  Himalaya  Mountains  in  the  provinces  of  Bengal  and  The 
Punjab.  Good  tea-lands  were  discovered,  also,  in  the  extreme 
south-western  part  of  the  peninsula,  in  the  hill-country  of 
the  Western  Ghauts,  a  mountain  range  of  the  Madras  Presi- 


36  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

dency ;  which  Presidency  is  separated  from  the  adjacent  island 
of  Ceylon  by  the  Gulf  of  Manaar. 

The  great  northern  tea-producing  section  of  India  is 
divided  into  tea-districts  which  are  known  to  commerce  as 
the  districts  of  Assam,  Cachar,  Sylhet,  The  Dooars,  Chitta- 
gong,  Dacca,  Darjeeling,  Koch  Bahar,  The  Terai,  Kumaon, 
Dehra-Doon,  Kangra  Valley,  Hazaribagh,  Chutia  Xagpur, 
Girhwal  and  others,  while  the  south-western  section  is  divided 
into  districts  which  produce  the  Neilgherry,  Travancore,  and 
Wynaad  teas. 

These  tea-districts  are  sub-divided  into  gardens  of 
greater  or  lesser  extent,  and  each  garden  has  a  name  by  \vhirh 
it,  and  its  product  is  commercially  known;  the  name  beinir. 
frequently,  but  not  always,  of  local  Indian  derivation.  This 
garden  name  is  usually  adopted  as  a  brand  by  wlm-h  the 
entire  production  of  the.  estate  is  distinguished  from  other 
garden  teas  of  the  same  district. 

Indian  district-teas  are  quite  distinctive  in  charaet«-r. 
owing  to  distinctive  climatic  conditions,  so  much  so,  indeed, 
that  tea-experts,  particularly  those  of  Great  Britain,  have 
little  difficulty  in  recognizing  the  product  of  the  different  dis- 
tricts ;  reminding  one  of  the  ease  with  which  the  coffee-expert 
can  choose  between  the  different  growths  of  Brazilian  coiv 
and  many  individual  gardens  produce  leaf  which  is  sufficiently 
characteristic  to  enable  it  to  be  distinguished  from  the  prod- 
uct of  other  gardens  of  the  same  district. 

The  elevation  at  which  the  plants  are  grown  has  a  great 
deal  to  do  with  the  cup  qualities  of  Indian  teas,  and  it  is  gen- 
erally conceded  that  tea  grown  in  the  hill-districts  is  much 
more  flavory  than  that  grown  upon  the  estates  of  the  plains. 

Neilgherry  Hills,  Travancore,  and  other  teas  oi  the  south- 
western districts  resemble  Ceylons  in  a  measure,  owing,  no 
doubt,  to  a  similarity  of  climate.  They  are  lighter  in  body, 
and  not  so  pungent  as  the  majority  of  northern  grown  teas, 


MAP    SHOWING    THE    TEA    DISTRICTS    OF    INDIA. 


THE   TEA  GARDENS   OF  THE  WORLD.  37 

and,  for  this  reason,  are  likely  to  meet  with  greater  favor  in 
the  markets  of  the  United  States,  for  in  this  country  tea- 
drinkers  are  not  accustomed  to  such  heavy-bodied,  dark- 
liquoring,  pungent  teas  as  are  produced  by  many  of  the 
northern  Indian  districts. 

Some  idea  of  the  enormity  of  the  Indian  tea-industry 
may  be  gathered  from  the  figures  as  given  in  an  esti- 
mate of  recent  date.  In  1901,  according  to  the  United 
States  Consul  at  Bombay,  there  were  524,767  acres 
of  land  under  tea-cultivation,  producing  over  191  million 
Ibs.  of  tea.  In  that  year  the  industry  gave  employment 
to  660,000  persons,  and  represented  an  invested  capital  of 
54  million  dollars.  By  far  the  greater  portion  of  this 
enormous  output  is  produced  in  Assam  and  Bengal,  which 
provinces  are  responsible  for  nine-tenths  of  the  Indian  tea- 
crop.  The  increase  in  the  output  af  India  teas  during  the 
last  ten  years  shows  an  annual  average  of  about  8%  million 
Ibs.,  so  that  when  we  consider  that  Ceylon's  increase 
has  been  proportionately  greater,  it  is  easy  to  discover 
a  reason  for  so  much  anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  Anglo-Indian 
in  his  search  for  other  markets.  Approximately  estimated 
India's  export  of  tea  for  the  last  thirty  years  has  been  as 
follows : 

In  1871  lSi/4     million  Ibs.  were  exported. 

In  1881  38%    million  Ibs.  were  exported. 

In  1890  112      million  Ibs.  were  exported. 

In  1900  197       million  Ibs.  were  exported. 

In  1901  1911/4  million  Ibs.  were  exported. 
An  increase  of  about  184  million  Ibs.  in  1900  over  1871. 

CEYLON. 

The  history  of  the  capture  by  Ceylon  of  her  present  posi- 
tion as  one  of  the  foremost  tea-producing  countries  of  the 


38  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

world  is,  as  Clutterbuck  has  it,  "a  striking  illustration  of  the 
dogged  determination  and  persevering  energy  of  the  English- 
man," for  the  planting  history  of  this  far-famed  island  is 
filled  with  deeds  of  commercial  daring  such  as  have  rarely 
been  equalled  in  the  history  of  agriculture  or  of  trade  else- 
where. Few  planters,  indeed,  in  any  country  have  been  called 
upon  to  pass  through  such  disastrous  times  and  long  periods 
of  depression  as  fell  to  the  lot  of  those  of  this  semi-tropical 
island,  and,  had  it  not  been  for  that  dogged  determination 
and  perseverance  spoken  of  by  Mr.  Clutterbuck,  the  periods 
of  great  prosperity  which  succeeded  those  of  equally  great 
depression  would  have  been  extremely  improbable,  although 
it  would  have  been  more  just,  in  bestowing  the  words  of 
praise,  to  have  credited  the  British  people  as  a  whole,  instead 
of  the  Englishman  alone,  for  numbers  of  the  planters  of 
Ceylon  were  then,  as  now,  of  Scotch  and  Irish  birth  as  well 
as  of  English. 

Forty  years  or  so  ago  the  ground  now  occupied  by 
a  seeming  endless  expanse  of  tea-estates  was  completely 
covered  by  a  vast  and  solitary  jungle,  amid  whose  labyrinths 
of  moss-grown  trees,  straggling  limbs,  and  entwining  tropi- 
cal creepers,  no  sign  of  a  road  and  scarcely  a  trail  could  be 
found ;  a  fitting  habitation,  indeed,  for  the  beasts  of  prey  that 
found  a  roaming  place  within  its  shades.  Later,  and  within 
the  memory  of  young  men  of  today,  the  mountain  sides  and 
valleys  of  this  same  land  were  overspread,  with  an  exuberant 
growth  of  coffee-bushes,  for  the  propagation  of  which  plant 
thousands  of  acres  of  jungle-land  had  been  cleared,  involving 
the  investment  of  many  millions  of  British  and  Colonial  capi- 
tal. For  years  the  cultivation  of  the  plant  which  produces 
the  fragrant  berry  had  occupied  the  full  attention  of  many  of 
the  planters  and  had  created  an  industry  which  had  become 
the  main-stay  of  the  island;  and  these  were  not  only  years 
of  great  prosperity  but  were  filled  with  the  promise  of  greater 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  39 

riches  to  come.  Suddenly,  and  at  the  height  of  this  pros- 
perity, the  abundant  hopes  of  the  planters  were  changed  to 
feelings  of  the  deepest  gloom,  for  an  insidious  coffee-leaf  dis- 
ease of  a  fungus  nature,  scientifically  known  as  Hemileia 
Vastatrix,  made  its  appearance  and  obtained  such  a  hold  upon 
the  bushes  that  the  most  strenuous  and  untiring  efforts  of  the 
planters  failed  to  eradicate  it,  and  then  it  was  realized  that 
the  future  of  the  coffee  industry  was  doomed.  Euined  inves- 
tors at  home  cried  out  to  the  ruined  planters  of  the  island; 
ruined  planters  turned  in  their  need  to  the  ruined  capitalists 
of  the  cities,  and  they  to  the  banks,  but  all  to  no  purpose,  for 
the  main-stay  of  the  island  itself  was  ruined,  and  financial 
disaster  stared  the  entire  community  in  the  face. 

Those  of  the  planters  who  were  able  to  do  so  sought  other 
crops  to  take  the  place  of  the  coffee-bush  on  their  devastated 
lands,  and  for  several  years  experiments,  that,  in  the  main, 
terminated  disastrously,  were  tried. 

The  most  notable  of  these  was  the  attempt  to  create  a 
profitable  industry  by  the  cultivation  of  the  Peruvian  Cin- 
chona-tree, from  the  bark  of  which  the  drug  quinine  is  made, 
but,  although  successful  in  the  propagation  of  the  tree,  the 
planters  were  unable  to  re-establish  themselves,  for  the  result- 
ing over-production  of  the  drug  glutted  the  markets  of  the 
world,  and  the  lowered  prices  that  were  obtainable  when  sales 
could  be  made,  were  anything  but  remunerative. 

Stern  necessity,  after  years  spent  in  fruitless  effort, 
therefore,  compelled  the  planters  to  seek  relief  in  some  direc- 
tion as  yet  untried,  and,  fortunately  for  Ceylon,  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  tea-plant  was  suggested.  Grasping  at  the  idea,  the 
courageous  planters  undertook  the  trial,  and  during  the 
period  of  experiment  that  followed,  results  were  obtained  that 
proved  the  entire  suitability  of  both  soil  and  climate  to  the 
propagation  of  the  plant.  Financially  embarrassed,  and, 
in  many  cases,  overwhelmed  with  debt,  the  planters  began 


40  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

the  work  of  transforming  the  ruined  coffee-plantations  into 
tea-estates,  and,  although  such  an  enterprise  involved  the 
expenditure  of  vast  sums  of  money,  the  profits  upon  which, 
if  any,  were  not  likely  to  become  manifest  until  the  tea-shrubs 
had  had  time  to  reach  the  age  of  maximum  productiveness, 
the  planters  persisted;  raised  funds  sufficient  for  the  purpose 
in  some  way;  laid  out  their  tea-gardens  and  awaited  develop- 
ments. 

And  so  it  happened  that  ground  which,  thirty  years  be- 
fore, was  one  impenetrable  forest ;  that  later  became  a  colossal 
coffee-plantation;  was  now  destined  to  become  covered  with 
the  waving  green  of  tea-shrubs. 

Tea-cultivation  may  be  said  to  have  begun  in  Ceylon  in 
the  year  1867;  for  about  that  time  some  ten  experimental 
acres  were  planted.  For  several  years  thereafter  the  progress 
made  was  slow,  owing  to  the  financial  condition  of  the  .coun- 
try; to  the  extreme  difficulty  that  many  of  the  planters  ex- 
perienced in  obtaining  the  necessary  funds  from  the  outside, 
and  to  the  lack  of  enthusiasm  consequent  upon  the  failure  of 
previous  commercial  crops,  and  it  was  not  until  eight  years 
later — in  1875 — that  the  first  experimental  shipment  of  manu- 
factured tea  was  made  to  England. 

This  sample  of  a  new  country  growth — some  282  Ibs. 
in  all — was  received  with  suspicion  in  London,  but  the  quality 
of  subsequent  consignments  forced  a  more  kindly  attention 
from  the  British  tea-men,  and  the  distressed  island  planters 
were  rewarded  for  their  long  fight  against  disaster  by  the 
knowledge  that  success  had,  at  last,  been  achieved,  and  that 
the  future  of  the  tea-industry  of  the  island  was  assured. 

Indian  experiences  in  cultivation  and  manufacture  were 
exceedingly  helpful  to  the  inexperienced  planters  of  Ceylon, 
who  were  careful  to  avoid  the  initial  mistakes  of  their  brother- 
planters  of  the  mainland,  and  to  adopt  the  latest  and  most 
approved  methods  of  cultivation,  plucking  and  curing. 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  41 

Once  fairly  started,  the  progress  made  was  extremely 
rapid;  each  succeeding  year  showing  an  enormous  increase  in 
the  output  of  manufactured  leaf  over  that  of  preceding  years ; 
until  today  the  production  of  tea  by  the  island  planters,  in 
spite  of  the  increase  that  India  has  continued  to  show,  falls 
little  short  of  that  of  the  latter  country ;  and,  should  the  same 
ratio  of  increase  be  maintained  for  a  few  years  to  come,  the 
planters  of  Ceylon  will  have  the  satisfaction  of  outstripping 
their  Indian  preceptors,  and  of  seeing  their  little  island  be- 
come the  third  greatest  tea-producing  country  of  the  world. 

Owing  to  the  comparatively  small  area  of  the  island — 
which  is  about  275  miles  long  by  140  miles  wide — the  tea-dis- 
tricts of  Ceylon  are  localized,  and  are  situated  mainly  in  the 
central,  southern  and  south-western  parts  of  the  country. 
Eanging  from  the  higher  elevations  of  the  central  interior 
surrounding  the  City  of  Kandy,  some  6,000  feet  above  sea- 
level,  and  away  to  the  sea-coast  on  the  west  and  south-west, 
estate  frequently  adjoins  estate,  and,  when  such  is  the  case, 
mile  after  mile  of  undulating  valley-  and  hill-country  is  to  be 
seen  clothed  in  the  perpetual  green  of  gleaming  tea-bushes ;  the 
scene,  when  enlivened,  here  and  there, -by  the  bright-colored 
turbans  and  clothing  of  native  pickers,  presenting  a  picture  of 
restful  beauty ;  a  picture  suggestive,  in  all  its  phases,  of  peace 
and  plenty  and  content. 

Tea-plantations  in  Ceylon  are  laid  out  upon  lines  similar 
to  those  of  India,  and  present  the  same  appearance  of  neat- 
ness, regularity,  and  business-like  precision  that  characterizes 
the  gardens  of  the  mainland.  The  estate-coolies  or  laborers — 
Tamils  mostly — live  in  small,  clay-lined,  chimneyless  rooms, 
called  "lines,"  built  expressly  for  them  upon  the  grounds ;  the 
factory  is  usually  situated  in  the  most  convenient  part  of  the 
plantation  for  the  purpose,  and  the  planter's  home  or  "bunga- 
low" in  some  shady  spot  in  close  proximity  to  the  gardens. 


42  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

Although  the  teas  of  Ceylon  are  recognized  by  their  dis- 
trict and  estate  names  in  England,  a  classification  by  such  is, 
as  yet,  unusual  in  the  United  States.  Like  the  district  teas  oi 
other  countries  those  of  Ceylon  are  distinctive  and  character- 
istic, but,  in  this  country,  they  usually  pass  collectively  and 
individually  as  Ceylon  teas.  Both  district  and  estate  names 
are  most  frequently  words  of  Singhalese  origin  and  these  are 
so  very  difficult  of  pronunciation  and  remembrance  that  it  is 
not  at  all  surprising  that  no  attempt  is  made  in  ordinary  tea- 
circles  to  use  them.  We  hear  of  the  districts  of  Maskeliya  and 
Dickoya;  of  Dinbula  and  Dolosbagie;  and  of  the 
Mahadowa,  Cocogalla,  Happootalle  and  other  estates,  but, 
until  Ceylon  teas  are  better  known,  and  in  more  general  use 
in  the  markets  of  the  United  States,  these  district  and  estate 
names  are  likely  to  remain  unused  and  unknown.  For  many 
years  after  the  successful  establishment  of  the  tea-industry,  the 
planters  devoted  their  efforts  almost  exclusively  to  the  cap- 
ture of  the  markets  of  Great  Britain  and  her  Colonies,  but, 
with  the  extensive  increase  in  acreage,  and  the  consequent  in- 
crease in  production,  new  markets  became  necessary  and  a 
trade-seeking  propaganda  on  the  part  of  the  tea-men,  ably 
assisted  by  the  Government  of  the  island,  was  inaugurated. 
Markets  in  continental  Europe  and  in  America  were  invaded, 
and,  from  the  onset,  the  business-like  invaders  appeared  de- 
termined to  make  the  new  markets  their  own. 

In  order  to  assist  in  the  capture,  both  the  Indian  and 
Ceylon  Governments  passed  ordinances  establishing  a  so-called 
"tea-cess"  or  duty  of  so  many  cents  per  100  Ibs.  on  all  tea  ex- 
ported ;  the  money  so  obtained  being  devoted  to  the  purpose  of 
advertising  the  teas  generally  in  the  various  markets  of  the 
world;  and  so  faithfully  was  the  money  spent,  and  so  satis- 
factory in  every  way  were  the  actual  results  of  this  general 
advertising  that,  in  1902,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  increase 
the  cess  from  20  to  30  cents  per  100  Ibs.  for  further  use  in  a 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  43 

similar  direction.  Although  Ceylon  and  India  teas  were 
known  to  the  trade  and  in  use  in  a  small  way  in  this  coun- 
try prior  to  1893,  the  extensive  advertising  given  to  them  at 
the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago  in  that  year  was,  to  a  great  ex- 
tent, instrumental  in  creating  a  demand  all  over  the  coun- 
try. Since  that  time  continued  advertising  has  increased  the 
demand  materially,  until  "today  the  consumption  of  Indio- 
Ceylon  teas  in  the  markets  of  the  United  States  is  averaging 
between  six  and  ten  million  Ibs.  annually. 

Hitherto,  or,  at  least,  until  the  last  year  or  two,  the  Ea^t 
Indian  tea-men  have  attempted  to  push  their  black  teas  ex- 
clusively in  America.  Not  satisfied  with  the  results  attained, 
proportionately  great  as  they  have  been,  these  enterprising 
merchants  have  determined  to  capture  the  green  tea-markets 
of  America,  and,  with  a  characteristic  zeal,  have  undertaken  to 
produce  green  teas  in  imitation  of  those  of  Japan  and  China. 
Time  alone  will  prove  their  ability  in  this  direction,  for  the 
green  teas  already  marketed  in  this  country  and  Canada  by 
the  Indian  and  Ceylon  manufacturers,  although,  recently, 
quite  improved  in  appearance  and  drinking  quality,  are  not 
such  as  might  be  expected  to  gain  the  desired  end.  If,  how- 
ever, we  may  judge  by  the  result  of  their  untiring  efforts  to 
overcome  obstacles  in  the  past,  it  is  only  reasonable  to  expect 
that  their  endeavors  to  produce  a  satisfactory  green  tea,  and 
create  a  growing  demand  for  it  in  America  will  result,  as 
usual,  in  success.  Meantime  we,  the  consumers  of  the  United 
States,  are  open  to  conviction,  and,  although  most  of  us,  when 
our  pocket-books  are  in  our  hands,  are  quite  likely  to  con- 
sider for  the  moment  that  Missouri  is  our  native  state,  the 
tea-men  of  sunny  Ceylon  may  depend  upon  a  fair  and  im- 
partial treatment,  for,  in  the  selection  of  articles  of  consump- 
tion, quality  comes  first  with  an  American,  favor  next,  who- 
ever it  may  hurt  or  benefit. 

For  some  year  or  twa  past  the  tea-industry  of  Ceylon 


44  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

and  India  has  suffered  somewhat  from  the  effects  of 
over-production;  the  war  taxes  levied  on  tea  by  the 
Governments  of  the  United  States  and  of  Great  Britain 
having  had  much  to  do  with,  and  forcing,  a  decrease  in  expor- 
tation ;  and  a  check  to  the  planting  of  fresh  tea- lands  ha  - 
suited.  The  heavy  annual  gains  in  the  sale  of  Ceylon  teas 
to  Russia,  and  other  continental  European  and  Asiatic  coun- 
tries, has  been  the  means,  however,  of  preserving  a  balance  be- 
tween output  and  export,  in  spite  of  the  decreased  quantities 
taken  during  war- tax  years  by  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States;  and  although  the  year  1901,  when  compared  with  that 
of  1900,  showed  a  decrease  in  exports  of  about  threi1  in  ill  ion 
Ibs.,  the  year  1902  has  succeeded,  by  the  aid  oi  other  countries, 
in  bringing  the  total  to  within  easy  reach  of  Ceylon's  greatest 
tea-year,  1900,  during  which  season  the  enormous  total  of 
nearly  150  million  Ibs.  of  tea  was  exported;  an  amount  equal 
to  nearly  twice  the  entire  annual  consumption  of  the  Unitfl 
States. 

The  following  table  will  give  an  idea  af  Ceylon's  rapid 
rise  as  a  tea-producing  country;  a  record  that  any  country 
might,  reasonably,  be  proud  of  possessing. 

In  1875  Ceylon  exported  about 282  Ibs. 

In  1876  Ceylon  exported  about 757  Ibs. 

In  1880  Ceylon  exported  about 139,752  Ibs. 

In  1895  Ceylon  exported  about 98,000,000  Ibs. 

In  1896  Ceylon  exported  about 108,141,412  Ibs. 

In  1899  Ceylon  exported  about 130,000,000  Ibs. 

In  1900  Ceylon  exported  about 149,264,602  Ibs. 

In  1901  Ceylon  exported  about 146,299,018  Ibs. 

In  1902  Ceylon  exported  about 148,999,241  Ibs. 

The  above  figures  include  exports  of  1,110,774  Ibs.  .%f 
green  tea  in  1901,  and  2,796,844  Ibs.  in  1902,  all  of  which 
came  to  Canada  and  the  United  States. 


SUPPLEMENTING   BLAKE6 
"TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS' 

1903 


MAP   SHOWING    THE    TEA    COUNTRY    OF    CEYLON. 


THE  TEA  GARDENS   OF  THE  WORLD.  45 

The  average  annual  increase  of  Ceylon's  tea-production  in 
recent  years  has  been  about  10  million  Ibs.  and  that  of  India 
about  8%  million  Ibs. 

In  Ceylon,  according  to  the  latest  statistics  obtainable, 
there  are  about  387,000  acres  of  land  under  cultivation  to 
the  tea-plant,  as  against  about  524,767  acres  in  India. 

Both  in  India  and  Ceylon  more  attention  has,  of  late 
years,  been  given  to  quality  by  the  planters,  and  this,  if  large- 
ly carried  out,  will  result  in  higher  costs  for  the  product,  and, 
possibly,  by  a  decline  in  the  quantity  produced,  for  qualities 
cannot  be  improved  to  any  great  extent  unless  closer  plucking, 
that  is,  the  plucking  of  none  but  the  tenderest  leaves,  is  un- 
dertaken. 

As  far  as  quality  is  concerned  the  island  of  Ceylon  un- 
doubtedly holds  the  record  for  having  produced  and  mar- 
keted the  costliest  tea  of  recent  years,  as  the  following  ex- 
tract from  the  "Pall  Mall  Budget"  of  March  13th,  1891,  will 
show.  It  says,  in  part :  "Golden-tips  sold  at  auction  in  Lon- 
don as  high  as  £35  per  Ib.  This  tea  possessed  extraordinary 
quality  in  liquor,  and  was  composed  entirely  of  small  golden 
tips  which  are  the  extreme  ends  of  small  succulent  shoots 
of  the  plant."  It  would,  of  course,  be  difficult  to  find  out,  but 
it  would,  nevertheless,  be  extremely  interesting  to  know  just 
what  the  English  merchant  obtained  for  a  tea  that  cost  him 
about  $175  a  Ib.  But  that  was  before  the  South  African  war. 

JAVA. 

Tea-culture  in  the  Dutch  island  of  Java  has  been  one  of 
the  varied  industries  of  that  country  for  about  seventy-five 
years.  Nurslings  and  seeds  were  introduced  from  Japan  in 
1826,  and,  a  few  years  later,  Chinese  plants  were  imported  by 
the  planters  who,  at  the  same  time,  brought  expert  Chinese 


46  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

labor  to  the  island  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  the  natives 
in  the  art  of  raising  the  plant  and  curing  its  leaves. 

For  some  years  prior  to  the  introduction  of  the  tea-plant, 
the  island  planters  had  been  working  their  sugar,  coffee,  spice, 
and  other  estates  under  an  admirable  method  of  government 
co-operation,  known  as  the  Van  den  Bosch  "culture  system;" 
which  system  gave  financial  aid  to  the  planters  on  long  and 
easy  terms,  but  compelled  both  Dutch  and  native  growers  to 
cultivate  staples  for  export. 

Under  the  system  the  cash  advanced  by  the  government 
was  refunded  in  yearly  instalments  of  produce,  and  the  pro- 
duce itself  was  handled,  as  a  whole,  by  government  agents  who 
found  foreign  markets  for  the  planters. 

The  culture  of  tea  at  once  came  under  this  system,  and, 
according  to  the  terms  of  the  contract,  the  planters  were  com- 
pelled to  manufacture  equal  quantities  of  both  green  and  black 
teas,  following  Chinese  makes.  They  were  also  obliged,  in 
the  case  of  tea,  to  sell  their  entire  output  to  the  government, 
which  disposed  of  it  to  the  best  possible  advantage,  and  in 
settling,  credited  the  planter  with  his  agreed  annual  refund- 
ment  of  advances. 

For  many  years,  and  in  spite  of  the  fostering  care  and 
efforts  of  the  Dutch  authorities,  the  planters  made  no  finan- 
cial success  of  the  venture,  owing  to  the  fact  that  their  product 
was  poor  and  unsuitable.  The  leaf,  although  well  made,  small 
and  handsome  as  compared  with  that  of  their  only  competitor, 
China,  was  lacking  in  all  that  goes  to  make  good  cup  quali- 
ties. The  infusion  was  dark-colored,  bitter,  rank  and  weedy, 
owing,  no  doubt,  to  the  characteristics  of  the  rich  virgin  soil 
of  the  new  plantations,  and  a  market  at  profitable  figures, 
under  such  circumstances,  was,  of  course,  impossible. 

The  home  country,  Holland,  as  well  as  Germany  and  some 
minor  Asiatic  States  began,  however,  to  take  the  teas  when  a 
heavy  reduction  in  price  was  offered;  and  to  this  day  these 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  47 

countries  are  the  only  customers  Java  has  for  her  teas,  al- 
though small  parcels  of  her  makes  are  to  be  found  in  this 
country  and  in  England. 

The  success  which  attended  the  introduction  of  tea-cul- 
ture by  their  neighbors  in  India  greatly  encouraged  the  Java 
planters  and  resulted  in  the  importation  of  Assam  and  Hy- 
brid plants,  and,  later,  in  the  adoption  of  Indian  tea-machin- 
ery and  Indian  methods  of  manufacture  and  packing.  After 
this  Java  teas  materially  improved  in  cup  qualities,  and,  ia- 
day,  some  fine  teas  are  produced  upon  the  island,  but,  like 
those  of  India  and  Ceylon,  it  is  very  doubtful  if  they  will  ever 
equal  the  time-honored  hand-made  teas  of  China  in  flavor 
and  bouquet. 

Javanese  tea-gardens  are  as  well  cared  for,  and  are  as 
picturesquely  handsome  as  any  in  the  world.  Extreme  clean- 
liness and  neatness  are  the  rule  both  on  the  plantations  and  in 
the  old-fashioned  red- tiled  factories,  which  are  called  "fdb- 
riks"  Mathematical  precision  dominates  the  long  rows  of 
squatty  tea-bushes  which,  as  in  India  and  Ceylon,  give  up 
their  pickings  throughout  the  year  without  danger  to  the 
plant. 

Java  teas,  following  the  Indian  makes,  are  known  to  the 
trade  as  Pekoes,  Souchongs,  Pekoe- Souchongs  and  Congous, 
and,  following  the  Chinese  makes,  are  known  as  Hysons, 
Young  Hysons,  Imperials  and  Ooloongs,  but  less  green  teas 
are  manufactured  each  year.  The  principal  tea-plantations  of 
Java  are  situated  in  the  Preanger  Eegencies,  rich  and  beauti- 
ful valley  and  hill  country  in  the  western  part  of  the  island/ 
not  far  from  Java's  great  sea-port,  Batavia,  from  which  city 
the  teas  are  shipped.  It  may  be  interesting  to  know  that 
Java,  although  considered  one  of  the  minor  tea-producing 
states  of  the  world,  can  make  the  claim,  and  without  much  fear 
of  contradiction,  of  possessing  the  largest  single  tea-garden 
in  the  world.  This  plantation,  known  as  the  Sinager  Estate, 


48  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

it  is  said,  covers  about  fifteen  thousand  acres  of  land,  nearly 
one-half  of  which  is  under  tea  and  coffee  cultivation.  The 
output  of  prepared  tea-leaf  from  this  plantation  is  in  the 
neighborhood  of  one  million  pounds  annually.  The  quantity 
of  Java  teas  exported  in  1901  was  nearly  17  million  Ibs.,  the 
greater  portion  of  which  was  shipped  to  Holland. 

SOUTH  AFRICA. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  old  tea-producing  coun- 
tries, China  and  Japan,  have,  during  the  last  fifty  to  seventy- 
five  years,  met  with  the  ever  growing  competition  of  those 
countries  which  have,  of  later  years,  entered  the  race,  their 
production  and  exportation  has  materially  increased  with  the 
years,  and  continues  to  increase.  This  fact  simply  ]> 
that  a  greater  demand  for  the  leaf  is  obtaining  throughout 
the  world,  and,  as  if  in  further  proof,  it  will  be  noted  that 
whenever  a  new  producer  arises  it  finds  a  ready  market  for  its 
product,  provided,  of  course,  that  the  leaf  is  commercially  suit- 
able. Hitherto,  as  has  been  shown,  the  countries  which  have 
embarked  in  the  tea-growing  industry  are  situated,  geograph- 
ically speaking,  close  to  China,  the  ancient  home  of  the  plant. 
Japan,  Java,  India,  Ceylon  and  others,  as  well  as  China  her- 
self, are  all  within  the  so-called  monsoon  region  of  Asia  and 
it  ever  has  been  thought  that  in  these  latitudes  only  would  the 
tea-plant  thrive.  In  contradiction  to  this  belief  the  British  col- 
onies in  South  Africa  have,  of  late  years,  entered  the  field  <js 
successful  growers  of  the  plant,  and  as  competitors  for  a  por- 
tion of  the  tea-trade  of  the  world ;  and  should  the  planters  of 
those  far-away  lands  enter  the  race  with  the  same  commercial 
energy  which  has  been  displayed  by  their  kinsmen  of  the  mon- 
soon regions  of  Asia,  and  should  the  conditions  of  soil  and  cli- 
mate prove  to  be  as  advantageous  as  is  claimed  for  both,  a 
most  important  factor  in  the  world's  production  of  tea  is  likely 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  49 

to  result.  The  colony  of  Natal,  so  recently  the  scene  of  many 
battles,  costly  alike  to  Bc^er  and  Briton,  has  been  quite  suc- 
cessful in  the  raising  of  the  plant  and  the  curing  of  its  leaves, 
so  much  so,  indeed,  that  the  output  of  the  colony,  prior  to  the 
outbreak  of  the  South  African  war,  was  estimated  to  be  about 
11/2  million  pounds  annually.  The  most  important  tea-gar- 
dens of  Natal  are  situated  in  the  north-east  corner  of  the  col- 
ony adjoining  the  province  of  Zululand  and  separated  from 
it  by  the  historical  Tugela  River,  to  cross  which  Gen.  Buller 
spent  so  much  British  blood  in  his  numerous  efforts  to  relieve 
the  besieged  British  garrison  under  Gen.  White  in  Ladysmith. 
Near  the  mouth  of  the  Tugela  are  some  fairly  large  planta- 
tions, the  largest  being  known  as  the  Kearney  Estate,  which 
has  some  1,750  acres  of  tea-plants.  The  production  of  manu- 
factured leaf  from  this  Estate  in  1901  was  upwards  of  one 
million  pounds. 

As  is  usual  with  the  later  British-Colonial  tea-growers, 
the  ideas,  plantations, ,  machinery  and  modes  of  preparation 
in  Natal  are  patterned  after  those  of  India  and  Ceylon,  from 
whence  the  seeds  and  plants  were  imported,  and  this  fact  nat- 
urally gives  to  Natal  a  production  similar  to  that  of  the  former 
countries.  The  possibilities  for  the  future  of  tea-culture  in 
this  British  colony  are  said  to  be  enormous,  for  not  only  have 
her  planters  the  advantages  of  a  soil  and  climate  which  will 
produce  an  average  annual  crop  of  from  400  Ibs.  to  700  Ibs. 
to  the  acre — a  yield  which  is  as  heavy  again,  at  least,  as  the 
average  yield  of  China — a  labor  question  solved  by  the  im- 
portation of  Indian  coolies  under  five  year  contracts  or  "in- 
dentures," as  the  contracts  are  called;  but  they  have,  also, 
the  experiences  of  India  and  Ceylon  to  guide  them  to  success. 

Great  Britain  is  Natal's  natural  market,  although  much 
of  her  product  is  consumed  at  home  and  in  the  adjacent  col- 
onies of  South  Africa.  Her  teas,  it  is  said,  are  exceptionally 
good;  equal,  in  fact,  all  things  being  considered,  to  those  of 


50  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

India  and  Ceylon  to  which  they  are,  in  appearance  and  quality, 
akin. 

FOEMOSA. 

In  the  language  of  the  Portuguese  the  word  "formosa" 
signifies  "beautiful."  In  the  year  1590  some  voyagers  of  that 
nation  while  skirting  the  eastern  coasts  of  the  island  for  the 
first  time,  and  "sighting  the  green-clad  mountains  with  peaks 
piercing  the  scattered  clouds;  cascades  glimmering  like  silver 
in  the  tropical  sunlight,  and  terraced  plains  waving  with  feath- 
ery bamboo,  exclaimed,  with  glad  surprise,  'Ilha  formosa; 
Ilha  formosa/  ('Beautiful  isle,  beautiful  isle!')"  With  a 
characteristic  Latin  love  for  the  descriptively  beautiful,  these 
adventurers  chose  the  word  "Formosa"  as  a  name  for  the 
island,  and  by  that  name  the  Western  world  has  known  and 
called  it  since. 

Of  Malayan  origin  the  aborigines  of  Formosa  gave  to 
it  the  Malayan  name  of  Pe-kan  or  Pe-kan-do.  Under  Chiiu-sc 
rule  the  island  was  originally  called  Ki-lung-shan  by  them, 
but,  at  a  later  date,  it  was  changed  to  "Tai-wan,"  signifying 
"terraced  harbor,"  and  to  this  day  the  island  of  Formosa  i? 
called  Tai-wan  by  the  Chinese. 

Prior  to  the  conclusion  of  the  late  Chinese- Japanese  war 
the  island  of  Formosa  formed  a  part  of  the  Chinese  Empire, 
and,  as  such,  its  tea-product,  although  entirely  distinctive  as 
a  class,  and  looked  upon  by  tea-men  generally  as  an  individual 
sort,  should  rightfully,  but  for  geographical  reasons  only, 
have  been  commercially  classed  as  one  of  the  China  kinds. 
The  transfer  of  the  island  to  Japan,  as  a  portion  of  the  war- 
indemnity  which  China  was  compelled  to  pay  to  her  victo- 
rious neighbor  in  1894,  gave  to  Japan  a  possession  of  untold 
value,  and  one  which,  in  the  hands  of  the  progressive  Japanese 
nation,  is  destined  to  play  an  important  part  in  the  future 
history  of  the  tea-commerce  of  the  world. 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  51 

Although  Formosa  tea  is  akin  in  make  to  some  of  the 
sorts  manufactured  in  the  Chinese  Province  of  Fu-Kien,  from 
which  the  island  is  separated  by  some  150  miles  of  water, 
geographically  known  as  the  Formosa  strait — and  inasmuch 
as  the  style  of  make,  methods  of  culture,  preparation,  etc., 
are  distinctly  Chinese — for  the  natives  of  the  island,  although 
of  Malayan  origin,  have,  from  long  intercourse  and  intermar- 
riage with  the  people  of  China,  imbibed  Chinese  methods,  and 
characteristics — the  justly  celebrated  product  can  no  longer  be 
claimed  by  China  as  a  Chinese  tea,  but  for  the  reason  only 
that  the  island  is  no  longer  Chinese. 

On  the  other  hand,  and  having  the  various  Japanese 
tea  makes  in  mind,  it  would  be  quite  confusing  and  distinctly 
incorrect,  commercially  speaking,  to  class  Formosa  teas  as 
Japanese,  merely  for  the  reason  that  the  island  is  now  a  Jap- 
anese possession,  so  that,  if  any  change  is  attempted,  or  con- 
sidered necessary  in  the  future  classification  of  Formosa  teas 
by  reason  of  the  late  change  of  ownership,  it  would  appear 
to  be  reasonable,  and  entirely  correct  to  class  them  as  a  dis- 
tinctly individual  sort,  and  give  to  the  island,  notwithstand- 
ing its  Japanese  connection,  that  prominent  place  in  the 
ranks  of  the  celebrated  tea-gardens  of  the  world  which  it  so 
richly  deserves. 

The  history  of  the  tea-industry  in  Formosa,  al- 
though of  recent  origin,  is  identical  with  that  of  China. 
The  methods  of  cultivation,  preparation,  etc.,  are,  conditions  of 
soil,  climate  and  leaf  being  considered,  similar  to  those  of 
China,  and  the  careful  husbandry  and  cleanly  habits  of  the 
farmer-growers  are  the  equal  of  those  of  the  farmer-growers 
of  the  Flowery  Kingdom. 

The  island  produces  but  one  commercial  leaf,  known  to 
the  world  as  Ooloong  or  Oolong,  and,  frequently,  in  inner  tea- 
trade  circles,  as  "Tam-sui"  leaf;  so-called  because  the  teas 
receive  final  manipulation  at  and  are  shipped  from  the  port 


52  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

Tam-sui.  The  word  "Ooloong"  is  derived  from  the  Chinese 
name  for  the  make,  "Ouloung,"  which  is  properly  pronounced 
as  if  spelled  Oo-lo-ong,  but  is  more  frequently  spelled  and 
pronounced  "Oolong."  It  is  said  to  mean  "Green  Dragon," 
and  is  sa-called  because  of  the  small  yellowish-green  leaf 
which  intermingles  with  that  of  darker  hue,  in  greater  or 
lesser  quantity,  according  to  the  grade. 

As  in  China  and  Japan,  the  tea-gardens  of  Formosa  are 
mostly  little  spots  of  land,  owned  and  cultivated  by  native 
farmers,  who,  like  their  kinsmen  of  the  mainlands,  take  par- 
ticular pains  with,  and  pride  in  their  gardens  and  product. 
These  tea-gardens  are  situated  mainly  in  the  extreme  north- 
ern and  north-eastern  part  of  the  island  in  close  proximity 
to  the  sea-port  Tam-sui,  to  which  city  the  crop  is  conveyed 
for  final  manipulation  and  for  transportation  abroad-  "The 
valleys  of  the  Tam-sui  and  its  tributaries,"  writes  Wilson  in 
1888,  "including  the  lower  Kelung,  are  broad,  level  plains, 
mostly  given  up  to  rice  fields  from  which  two  crops  a  year 
are  harvested;  but  the  hills  are  everywhere  in  sight,  and,  in 
many  cases,  are  covered  to  the  very  top  with  tea-plantations, 
producing  large  quantities  of  Formosa  Oolong.  Its  cultiva- 
tion was  begun  only  a  few  years  ago,  but,  since  nearly  all  the 
hill  and  mountain  region  of  the  island  is  adapted  to  its 
growth,  it  is  evident  that  any  quantity  required  by  the  world 
can  be  supplied.  The  soil  of  the  tea-fields  is  a  reddish,  clay- 
like  loam,  which  at  a  distance  contrasts  strongly  with  the 
green  covering  of  the  hillsides.  The  plantations  are  gener- 
ally small,  containing,  as  a  rule,  from  a  quarter  of  an  acre 
to  three  or  four  acres."  "Tea-culture  is  now  becoming  im- 
portant," writes  Dr.  Mackay  in  1898,  "and  Formosa  tea  is 
already  a  popular  beverage  in  Britain  and  America.  A  large 
plateau  to  the  south-west  of  Tam-sui  that  twenty  years  ago 
was  a  meadow  broken  in  upon  by  little  rice  farms  is  now  a 
magnificent  tea-plantation.  This  industry  gives  employment 


THE  TEA  GARDENS   OF  THE  WORLD.  53 

every  year  to  thousands  of  people  many  of  whom  are  brought 
from  the  mainland"  (of  China). 

The  conditions  of  soil  and  climate  which  exist  in  For- 
mosa are  distinctively  favorable  to  the  cultivation  of  the  tea- 
plant  and  quite  dissimilar  to  those  of  any  other  tea-country, 
and,  owing  to  these  extraordinary  conditions,  the  leaf  possesses 
an  aroma  and  flavor  wMch  -is,  unquestionably,  the  world's  best, 
and  which  no  other  leaf  can  ever  hope  to  equal.  Late  rains, 
which  are  extremely  heavy  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  and  the 
subsequent  damp  heat  of  the  atmosphere,  have  a  very  marked 
effect  upon  the  quality  of  the  later  picked  leaf,  and,  owing 
to  this  fact,  tea-men  give  especial  preference  to  these  late,  or 
"Autumn  pickings,"  as  they  are  called,  as  against  those  of  the 
earlier,  or  "Spring  pickings,"  which,  in  consequence  of  a  lack 
of  moisture,  are  wanting,  as  compared  with  autumn  leaf,  in 
body,  aroma  and  flavor. 

During  the  commercial  history  of  Formosa  under  Chinese 
rule,  the  island,  for  a  time,  formed  a  part  of  the  province  Fu- 
Kien,  and  teas  were  usually  forwarded  from  Tam-sui  to  Amoy, 
on  the  Chinese  mainland,  and,  at  the  latter  sea-port,  settle- 
ments of  Formosa  teas  were  made  by  foreign  importers 
through  Chinese  brokers  and  merchants.  This  has,  of  course, 
been  changed  since  the  island  passed  into  the  possession  of 
Japan,  and  now  Formosa  teas  are  either  shipped  from  Tam-sui 
direct,  or  are  transferred  to  Kobe  or  Yokohama,  Japan,  for 
settlement.  Some  of  the  European  and  native  go-down  owners 
of  Japan  have  established  houses  in  Tam-sui  and  at  other 
points  on  the  island,  so  that  American  importers  are  now  able 
to  place  their  orders  for  Formosa  teas  in  like  manner  as  they 
do  for  Japans.  This  is  a  step  in  the  right  direction,  and  it 
is  to  be  hoped  that  it  will  be  the  means  of  promoting  the  im- 
portation and  consumption  of  Formosa  teas  in  this  country, 
for  they  are,  without  exception,  the  finest  that  grow. 


54  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMEEICA. 

Ever  since  the  introduction  of  "the  cup  that  cheers"  to  the 
civilization  of  the  Occidental  world,  tea-culture,  and  all  that 
pertains  to  it,  has  been  intimately  associated  in  western  minds 
with  impressions  of  fever-jungles,  tropical  storms,  steaming 
malarial  swamps,  picturesquely  costurfled  Orientals  and  other 
things  and  beings  Asiatic;  and  so  very  long,  indeed,  have  we 
been  accustomed  to  regard  the  tea-plant  as  a  distinctive  pro- 
duct of  the  Monsoon  regions  of  semi-tropical  Asia,  and  its  cul- 
tivation and  the  mysterious  manipulation  of  its  leaves  as  the 
ancient,  exclusive,  and  indisputable  right  of  vocation  of  the 
hard-working,  silent,  almond-eyed  coolie,  that  it  is  difficult  to 
associate  such  a  husbandry,  and  such  an  industry,  with  any 
country,  climate,  or  peoples  other  than  those  of  Asia. 

As  a  result  of  this  old-time  and  well-established  impres- 
sion it  will  be  a  little  difficult  for  Americans  to  realize  that 
the  cultivation  of  the  tea-plant  has  been  seriously  undertaken 
in  America,  and  much  more  difficult  yet  for  them  to  believe 
that  the  propagation  for  profit  of  such  a  distinctly  foreign 
shrub  has  met  with  a  measure  of  success  in  this  country  which 
not  only  assures  the  future  of  an  industry  that  will,  eventu- 
ally, free  America  from  an  absolute  dependence  upon  Asia, 
and  upon  Asiatic  coolies,  for  her  tea  supply,  but  upsets  for- 
ever all  pre-conceived  theories  and  ideas  as  to  the  latitudes  and 
longitudes  necessary  for  the  successful  cultivation  of  the  plant. 
The  history  of  the  experiment  of  tea-culture  in  the  United 
States  gives  another  example  of  that  indomitable  courage  and 
persistence  under  extreme  discouragement  which  is  so  charac- 
teristic of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  wherever  found,  for,  since  the 
inception  of  the  idea,  until  quite  recently,  every  experiment 
has  proved  to  be  a  failure ;  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  inde- 
fatigable efforts  of  a  few  resolute  Northern  gentlemen,  aided 
by  the  advantageous  climate  and  soil  of  the  sunny  South,  and 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  55 

by  the  occasional  assistance  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture 
of  the  Government,  the  experiments  would  have  been  discon- 
tinued as  impracticable  long  ago. 

Quite  frequently,  within  the  last  half-century,  or  so,  the 
United  States  Government  has  made  well-directed  efforts  to 
aid  and  foster  the  experiment  of  tea-culture  in  States  where 
conditions  of  soil,  water  -supply,  and  climate  were  likely  to 
prove  favorable,  and,  to  this  end,  seeds  and  plants  have  been 
procured,  at  intervals,  through  Government  agents  abroad  and 
distributed  among  those  land  owners  who  cared  to  take  up  the 
experiment.  As  far  back  as  the  year  1800  a  tea-plant  was 
brought  to  the  United  States  by  the  French  botanist, 
Michaux,  and  planted  at  a  point  some  fifteen  miles  from 
the  City  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  where  it  still 
lives,  a  healthy  tree,  some  fifteen  feet  in  height;  and  it 
is  quite  likely  that  the  health  and  vigor  which  this  tea-tree 
has  always  exhibited  was  the  means  of  originating  the  idea  of 
tea-culture  in  America.  Later  in  the  century  efforts  were 
made  by  Dr.  Junius  Smith  of  Greenville,  South  Carolina,  to 
propagate  the  plant  from  seeds  obtained  from  India,  but  his 
death,  before  a  practical  conclusion  could  be  reached,  put  an 
end  to  the  experiment  at  that  time.  A  few  years  prior  to  the 
beginning  of  the  Civil  War  the  Government  imported  large 
quantities  of  seeds  from  the  various  tea-growing  countries  of 
the  Orient,  and  distributed  them  throughout  the  Southern 
States,  but  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  in  1861  put  a  stop  to 
the  various  experiments  and,  for  many  years  thereafter,  noth- 
ing further  was  done.  In  the  year  1881  Congress  voted  an 
appropriation  of  funds  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  and  pro- 
tecting tea-culture  in  the  South,  and,  for  the  time  being,  con- 
siderable interest  was  awakened  in  the  country  surrounding 
the  various  scenes  of  action,  but  the  experiments  were  attended 
by  results  so  disappointing  and  discouraging  in  every  way 


56  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

that  the  project  was,  practically  speaking,  abandoned  as  im- 
possible. 

The  relinquishmcnt  of  the  experiment  by  the  Government 
and  the  subsequent  withdrawal  of  its  financial  support  did  not, 
however,  deter  private  enterprise  from  making  further  tests, 
for  the  knowledge  gained  during  the  years  of  investigation 
was  valuable.  It  had  proved,  to  those  who  had  the  welfare 
of  the  idea  at  heart,  that  the  failure  of  the  initial  experiments 
was  due  either  to  a  lack  of  positive,  or  accurate,  knowledge  of 
the  laws  which  govern  successful  tea-culture,  or  that  the  soil 
and  climate  selected  were  unsuitable;  and,  above  all,  it  was 
the  means  of  establishing  a  well  defined  idea  in  the  minds  of 
a  few  enthusiasts  that,  under  express  conditions,  the  tea-plant, 
notwithstanding  past  failures,  could  be  successfully  and  profit- 
ably cultivated  in  certain  sections  of  the  United  States. 

Twelve  years  ago,  or  thereabouts,  Dr.  Charles  U.  Shepard 
broke  soil  at  his  Pinehurst  Plantation,  Summerville,  South 
Carolina,  for  an  experimental  tea-garden.  In  the  face  of 
trying  difficulties,  numerous  disasters  to  his  young  plants,  and 
other  discouragements,  he  persisted  in  his  efforts  to  make  the 
experiment  a  successful  one,  and  demonstrate  to  the  world 
at  large  that  his  theories  were  practical,  and  that  a  successful 
and  profitable  industry  could  be  established  if  correctly  man- 
aged. After  a  few  years  spent  in  continued  research  and 
costly  experiment,  Dr.  Shepard's  efforts  were  rewarded  by  suc- 
cesses great  enough  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  Secretary  of 
the  Department  of  Agriculture,  and,  after  further  evidences  of 
a  successful  termination  of  the  experiment  were  forthcoming, 
the  moral  and  financial  support  of  the  Government  was  en- 
listed in  the  project,  to  the  end  that  the  Pinehurst  Tea-Plan- 
tation is  now  a  provisional  Government  institution  and  Dr. 
Shepard  the  Special  Agent  in  charge  Tea-Culture  Investiga- 
tions. To-day  the  Pinehurst  gardens  are  yielding  a  profitable 
harvest  of  tea-leaves,  so  that  to  Dr.  Shepard  belongs  the  honor 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  57 

of  having  produced  the  first  commercially  successful  tea- 
garden  in  the  United  States,  and  of  having  established  an  in- 
dustry in  the  South  which  is  destined  to  grow  with  the  years 
and  become  the  means  of  providing  a  new,  pleasing,  and 
healthful  employment  to  many  hundreds,  and,  eventually, 
thousands  of  native  Americans., 

Although  the  Pinehurst  Plantation  can  scarcely  be  said  to 
have  much  more  than  passed  its  experimental  stage,  sufficient 
evidence  is  at  hand  to  fully  warrant  the  statement  that  the 
experiment  is  a  success  and  that  the  future  of  the  tea- 
growing  industry  in  the  United  States  is  assured.  In  this 
connection  it  will  be  well  to  quote  the  remarks  of  Sec- 
retary Wilson  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  who,  in 
his  annual  report  to  the  President  in  1902,  says  in  part: 
"Whether  or  not  tea  growing  in  this  country  can  be 
made  a  commerical  success  will  depend,  in  large  meas- 
ure, upon  most  rigid  attention  to  the  details  connected  with 
the  field  and  factory  work.  It  is  not  expected  that  any  large 
profits  will  be  made,  b ut  it  is  believed  that  by  proper  and  judi- 
cious management  sufficient  profit  will  result  to  encourage  the 
planting  of  the  crop  in  many  parts  of  the  South,  especially 
where  there  is  cheap  labor  available" 

It  is  true  that  many  and  serious  difficulties  have  yet  to  be 
overcome  before  American  growers  can  hope  to  compete  suc- 
cessfully with  those  of  the  older  and  more  experienced  pro- 
ducing countries,  but  it  can  be  confidently  stated  that  few  of 
our  industries  have  shown  more  lusty  health  and  vigor  in  in- 
fancy than  that  of  tea-growing  under  present  circumstances. 

The  tea-plantation  at  Pinehurst  has,  since  its  inception, 
been  nothing  more  than  an  experiment;  at  the  beginning  on 
a  small,  now,  on  a  practical  scale,  for  to  demonstrate  the  fea- 
sibility of  tea-culture  has  ever  been  Dr.  Shepard's  sole  idea. 
"At  the  commencement,"  he  writes,  in  1899,  "it  was  wisely 


58  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

an  a  small  scale,  but  has  been  gradually  increased  until  now 
over  50  acres  have  been  planted  in  tea." 

It  will  be  readily  understood  .  that,  inasmuch  as  the 
experiment  was  intended  to  produce  practical  results  in 
every  way,  the  manufacture  of  the  green  leaf  into  a  com- 
mercial commodity  was  of  as  much  importance  as  the 
successful  culture  of  the  plant  itself,  so  that,  although 
upon  a  small  scale,  the  plantation  and  its  attendant  fac- 
tory have  been  systematically  arranged,  well  kept  and 
laid  out  upon  lines  calculated  to  minimize  the  labor-cost 
of  culture  and  manufacture,  and  produce  the  green  and 
commercial  leaf  at  as  small  an  expense  as  possible. 

In  the  beginning  "it  was  desirable  to  conduct  the  experi- 
ments," says  Dr.  Shepard,  "with  as  many  varieties  of  seed  and 
under  as  different  conditions  of  soil  and  location  as  possible. 
To  this  end,  by  the  kind  assistance  of  the  Department  of 
Agriculture,  and  by  purchase  from  foreign  and  domestic  pro- 
ducers, a  considerable  variety  of  seed,  representing  many  of 
the  choicest  sorts  of  tea,  was  obtained.  Gardens  were  estab- 
lished on  flat  and  on  rolling  land,  in  drained  swamps  and 
ponds,  and  on  sandy,  clayey,  loamy,  and  rich  bottom  soils." 
In  the  gardens  today  growing  plants  and  nurslings  oi  Chinese, 
Japanese,  Indian,  Indian-Hybrid,  Formosan  and  other  species 
may  be  seen  nourishing  in  their  especial  acreage  and  nurseries, 
where  each  species  receives  that  agricultural  attention  neces- 
sary for  its  individual  well  being.  Some  varieties  of  the  above 
mentioned  species  have  taken  more  kindly  than  others  to  the 
new  conditions  of  soil,  climate,  and  irrigation  to  which  they 
have  been  subjected,  which  was  to  be  expected,  but,  with  time, 
experience,  skilful  manipulation  and  management,  it  is  an- 
ticipated that  all  species  of  the  plant,  and  all  varieties  of  spe- 
cies will  become  acclimated  and  thrive  equally  well. 

So  far  the  production  of  marketable  leaf,  owing  to  a  lim- 
ited acreage  of  full  bearing  plants,  has  been,  necessarily,  small. 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  59 

It  takes  time  for  the  plants  to  grow,  and  several  years  must 
elapse  before  the  present  producing  plants  will  attain  the  age 
of  maximum  productiveness,  and  the  present  and  future  nurs- 
lings of  the  Pinehurst,  and  other  gardens,  reach  that  period 
of  their  life  when  leaf -plucking  may  be  safely  undertaken,  so 
that  for  many  years  to  come  the  demand  of  Americans  for 
"American  tea"  is  sure  to  be  greatly  in  excess  of  the  supply. 
During  the  season  of  1901  the  total  output  of  "Pinehurst"  pre- 
pared leaf  was  4,000  Ibs.,  which  quantity  included  the  several 
kinds,  grades  and  makes  of  both  green  and  black  teas;  and 
during  the  present  season,  1902,  the  output  of  all  sorts  is  ex- 
pected to  reach  a  total  of  from  8,500  to  9,000  Ibs. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  expectations  of  those  in- 
terested in  the  production  of  American  tea  have  been  fully 
realized  in  the  matter  of  finding  a  ready  and  appreciative  mar- 
ket for  the  product,  which,  so  far,  has  been  sold  at  prices  that 
have  returned  a  profit  to  the  plantation  of  between  $40  and 
$50  an  acre;  an  object  lesson  in  profitable  soil-cultivation 
which  many  progressive  land  owners  will  not  be  slow  to  im- 
prove; and,  now  that  all  material  difficulties  have  been  swept 
aside  and  success  assured,  we  may  look  expectantly  forward 
to  the  time  when  thousands  of  Southern  acres  will  gleam  with 
the  delightful  green  of  waving  tea-bushes,  and  the  country 
sides  resound  with  the  happy  laughter  of  busy  leaf-pickers. 

Every  pound  of  tea-leaf  grown  at  Pinehurst  is  cured  and 
prepared  for  market  in  the  tea-factory  which  has  been  espe- 
cially built  for  the  purpose  in  a  convenient  part  of  the  planta- 
tion. This  factory  has  a  daily  capacity  of  125  Ibs.  of  tea,  and 
is  equipped  with  labor-saving  machinery  of  various  kinds ;  in- 
cluding machines  for  wilting  and  evaporating  the  leaf;  ma- 
chines for  rolling;  traveling  trays  for  drying;  hot-air  ma- 
chines for  firing;  sifting  machines;  screens,  fans,  etc.;  and, 
in  consequence,  it  may  be  truthfully  claimed  that  every  opera- 
tion of  the  manufacture  of  American  tea  is  attended  by  a  per- 


60  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

feet  cleanliness ;  a  cleanliness  which  is  unequaled  by  most  East- 
ern methods ;  producing  a  tea  that  is  entirely  "machine  made/' 
and  as  much  untouched  by  hand  as  any  British  manufactured 
tea. 

The  greatest  drawback  which  American  tea-growers  are 
likely  to  meet  with  in  the  production  of  a  commercial  article  is 
in  the  question  of  labor  in  plucking  the  leaves.  It  is  not  rea- 
sonable to  expect  that  labor  can  be  procured  in  this  country 
which  can  successfully  compete  in  price  with  the  cheap  coolie-, 
female-,  and  child-labor  of  Asia,  and,  for  this  reason  alone,  it 
is  quite  likely  that  American  growers  will  find  it  difficult  to 
produce  low-grade  teas  at  a  cost  equal  to  that  of  Oriental  pro- 
duction. It  is  claimed,  however,  by  those  interested,  and  rea- 
sonably so,  that  the  greater  cost  of  free  American  labor  is. 
in  a  measure,  equalised  by  its  superiority  to  Oriental  labor;  a 
superiority  which  is  proved  by  its  ability  to  pick  more  leaf 
in  a  given  time  than  the  ordinary  run  of  Eastern  labor.  It 
is  true  that,  with  the  well  known  inventive  genius  of  Anu-ri- 
cans,  machinery  will,  eventually,  be  produced  that  will  ma- 
terially reduce  the  cost  of  manufacture,  and  offset,  in  this 
manner,  the  greater  cost — if  such  is,  in  reality,  the  case — of 
leaf-plucking,  for  it  would  appear  to  be  improbable  that  a 
machine  could  be  invented  to  pluck  leaves  successfully.* 

On  the  other  hand,  should  American  growers,  owing  to 
the  greater  cost  of  labor,  be  unable  to  produce  low-grade  leaf 
at  a  competitive  price,  it  will  by  no  means  endanger  the  future 
of  the  industry,  for  the  time  will  surely  come  when  the  Ameri- 
can consumer  will  learn  to  esteem  the  health-giving  beverage 
and  insist  upon  receiving  an  article  of  merit  from  the  retailer 
in  place  of  the  cheap,  trashy,  carelessly  made  leaf,  which  so 


*A  machine  especially  designed  for  leaf-plucking  has  already 
been  invented  and  tried  in  India,  but,  according  to  accounts,  it 
has  been  abandoned  as  impracticable. 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  61 

many  dealers,  unfortunately,  insist  upon  purchasing  in  order 
to  enhance  their  profits. 

At  Pinehurst  the  leaf  is  plucked  by  negro  children, 
whose  well  being,  both  educational  and  otherwise,  is  cared 
for  upon  the  plantation.  To  them  the  labor  is  particu- 
larly agreeable  and  much  less  arduous  than  that  of  cotton- 
picking,  and  it  is  said  that  the  wage  paid  to  them  runs 
from  thirty  to  fifty  cents  a  day;  a  remuneration  from  five  to 
ten  times  greater  than  that  received  by  the  Asiatic  for  a  sim- 
ilar labor.  Leaf-plucking  at  Pinehurst  is  conducted  in  a 
cleanly  and  scientific  manner.  The  children,  thoroughly 
trained  to  the  work,  go  from  bush  to  bush  and  nip  off  the  ten- 
der stems,  or  shoots,  just  below  the  third  leaf,  and  each  stem, 
with  its  three  appending  leaves,  is  deposited  in  a  picking- 
basket  which  is  conveniently  slung  over  the  shoulder.  The 
pickers  are  careful  in  their  work;  do  not  allow  the  leaves  to 
pack  tightly  in  the  baskets  for  fear  of  over-heating,  which 
would  result,  after  manufacture,  in  an  undesirable  "red-leaf," 
and,  for  a  similar  reason,  are  not  permitted  to  collect  in  large 
quantities.  When  a  basket  contains  the  stipulated  amount  of 
leaf  it  is  immediately  taken  to  the  factory,  where  a  careful  ex- 
amination of  its  contents  takes  place,  and  all  objectionable 
leaf  rejected.  It  is  then  weighed  in  and  spread  out  upon  a 
cool,  clean  wooden  or  cement  floor,  or  on  trays,  to  await  manip- 
ulation. A  good  picker  will  gather  from  30  to  40  Ibs.  of  green 
leaf  during  a  day's  work,  when  the  plants  are  "flushing"  well. 
This  quantity  will  return  7%  to  10  Ibs.  of  manufactured  tea, 
for  it  takes  four  Ibs.  of  green  leaf  to  produce  one  Ib.  of  tea. 
(In  China  an  expert  picker  can  gather  not  to  exceed  fifteen 
pounds  a  day  for  the  plants  will  not  yield  more  than  one  to 
two  ounces  at  a  picking  and  thrive.) 

Of  the  three  tender  leaves  plucked  with  each  "flush,"  as 
the  shoots  are  called,  the  tiny,  unexpanded  end  leaf -bud  returns 
the  "Pekoe-tip,"  or  "Flowery  Pekoe,"  of  commerce;  the  sec- 


62  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

ond  leaf  from  the  end  is  made  into  "Orange  Pekoe,"  so  called 
on  account  of  the  orange-colored  leaf-tips  it  shows  when  man- 
ufactured, and  not,  as  is  erroneously  supposed,  because  of  an 
orange-flavor,  for  such  a  flavor  is  not  present;  and  the  third 
leaf  into  "Pekoe;"  commercial  terms  which  exactly  designate 
the  age,  and,  therefore,  the  grade  of  leaf ;  following  the  Indian 
system  of  grading.  Immediately  below  the  third,  or  "Pekoe," 
leaf  upon  each  shoot,  two  larger  and  maturer  leaves  grow 
which  are  known  as  the  first  and  second  Souchong  leaves,  and, 
should  the  season  and  the  demand  so  warrant,  these  Souchong 
leaves  are  taken  with  the  shoot  if  sufficiently  tender.  Careful 
husbandry  furnishes  the  bushes  with  a  means  to  sustain 
healthy  life  and  a  vigorous  reaction  immediately  sets  in  within 
each  plant  to  repair  the  trifling  hurt  occasioned  by  the  pluck- 
ing of  the  shoots,  which  is,  in  reality,  a  stimulus  to  luxuriant 
"flushing"  as  the  putting  forth  of  new  shoots  is  called. 

Of  the  several  varieties  of  the  plant  under  cultivation  at 
Pinehurst  those  of  Indian  origin  are  the  most  prolific,  and, 
from  the  bushes  of  these  kinds,  twenty,  or  more,  plucking- 
made  during  a  season,  or  about  one  every  ten  days.  The 
bushes  of  the  Chinese,  Formosan  and  Japanese  varieties  permit 
of  fewer  pickings  although  they  thrive  very  well  and  are 
being  planted  extensively.  Although,  upon  its  face,  it  would 
appear  to  be  a  much  more  profitable  undertaking  for  future 
American  growers  to  raise  plants  of  the  more  productive 
Indian,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  less  productive  Chinese,  For- 
mosan and  Japanese  kinds,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  for  the  sake  oi 
appreciative  American  tea-drinkers,  as  well  as  for  the  future 
welfare  of  the  industry,  that  growers  will  not  be  induced  to 
make  such  a  serious  mistake.  American  consumers  are  not 
generally  prepared  to  accept  the  heavy  bodied  beverage  result- 
ing from  the  infusion  of  Indian,  Indian-Hybrid,  or  Ceylon 
leaf,  so  that,  although  the  harvest  of  leaves  may  not  be  so 
great,  a  readier  market  at  remunerative  prices  may  be  ex- 


THE  TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  63 

pected  for  teas  manufactured  from  the  lighter  liquoring  and 
much  more  pleasing  Chinese,  Formosan  and  Japanese  kinds. 

The  quality  of  prepared  tea  produced  at  Pinehurst  is 
said  to  be  exceptionally  good.  Black  teas,  so-called  English 
Breakfast  teas,  Green  teas  and  Ooloongs,  have  been  manufac- 
tured and  sold  to  the  trade  in  various  parts  of  the  country, 
and  words  of  praise  returned. 

According  to  Mr.  Hobbs,  the  editor  of  "Tea,  Coffee  and 
Sugar"  the  teas  "are  a  delight  to  the  eye  in  point  of  style, 
and  their  cup  qualities  prove  and  justify  the  praise  that  the 
tea  has  received  in  not  a  few  quarters" 

It  is  said  that  Dr.  Shepard  numbers  among  other  appre- 
ciative consumers  of.  his  tea,  several  members  of  an  Oriental 
Legation  at  Washington,  D.  C.  If  such  is  the  case,  no 
stronger  testimony  as  to  the  quality  of  the  production  could 
be  asked,  for  no  better  judges  of  the  drinking  qualities  of 
tea  are  to  be  found  than  these  Oriental  gentlemen.  At  a 
meeting  of  the  Cabinet  in  the  Autumn  of  1901,  the  Secretary 
orf  Agriculture,  under  whose  protecting  hand  the  Pinehurst 
Plantation  has  grown,  said,  in  speaking  of  the  cultivation  of 
tea  in  the  United  States,  that  "the  green  tea  grown  in  South 
Carolina  is  as  good  as  any  grown  in  the  world." 

Although  the  opinion  of  the  writer  may  not  count  for 
much  when  measured  with  that  of  men  more  competent  to 
judge,  he  feels  justified  in  stating  that  he  has  examined  sam- 
ples of  both  black  and  green  Pinehurst  teas  in  a  commercial 
way,  and  has  found  them  to  be  well  made,  of  good  liquor, 
strength  and  flavor,  and,  accordingly,  he  has  no  hesitancy 
whatever  in  recommending  retailers  to  place  them  in  stock 
when  offered. 

"The  green  color  of  the  infusion  of  Pinehurst  green 
tea,"  writes  Dr.  Shepard  in  his  report  to  the  Government, 
"has  attracted  keen  interest  in  the  trade  and  among  consum- 


64  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

ers.  Oriental  teas/'  he  continues,  "can  hardly  furnish  the 
like  in  this  country." 

Asiatic  teas,  intended  for  export,  are  subjected  to  a 
course  of  heavy  "firing"  in  order  that  the  leaf  may  not  dete- 
riorate during  a  long  ocean  voyage.  This  heavy  "fire"  imparts 
a  metallic  or  "raspy"  flavor  to  the  infusion  in  a  greater  or 
lesser  degree  according  to  grade,  as  well  as  an  unnatural  color 
to  the  liquor,  the  like  of  which  is  not  met  with  or  expected  in 
countries  where  teas  are  made.  Unfortunately  the  "raspiness" 
which  heavy  firing  induces  has  come  to  be  looked  upon  in 
this  country  as  an  evidence  of  quality,  and,  with  many  con- 
sumers, a  tea  without  the  expected  "raspiness" — or  strength 
as  it  is  thought  to  be — is  likely  to  be  condemned.  It  is  not 
necessary  for  American  teas  to  be  highly  fired,  for  they  have, 
as  yet,  no  ocean  voyage  to  withstand,  hence  the  flavors  of  the 
infusion  and  the  colors  of  the  liquor  are  exactly  as  they 
should  be;  as  they  are  in  Oriental  countries;  the  true  tea- 
flavor  and  color,  uninjured  by  a  heavy  "fire" 

Albert  B.  Prescott,  Professor  of  Organic  and  Applied 
Chemistry  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  in  an  article  enti- 
tled "The  Chemistry  of  Coffee  and  Tea,"  1882,  says :  "Tho 
processes  of  manufacture  in  China  and  India  are  necessarily 
modified  to  enable  the  tea  to  bear  sea  transportation  without 
injury,  and  it  must  be  accepted  that  the  finest  tea  can  only  be 
obtained  in  tea-growing  lands." 

The  success  which  has  attended  Dr.  Shepard's  experi- 
ment has,  already,  been  the  means  of  inducing  others,  in 
several  parts  of  the  Southern  States,  to  invest  capital  in 
similar  undertakings,  in  one  instance,  at  least,  upon  an  ex- 
tensive and  business-like  scale,  and  this  fact  alone  should 
be  sufficient  to  silence  forever  the  adverse  reports  of  those 
who  are  inclined  to  judge  hastily,  or  unfairly,  or  to  speak, 
or  write,  disparagingly  of  an  infant  industry.  A  year  or 
two  ago  a  corporation  known  as  "The  American  Tea 


THE   TEA  GARDENS  OF  THE  WORLD.  65 

Growing  Company  of  South  Carolina,"  of  which  Colonel 
Aug.  C.  Tyler  is  President  and  Major  Eoswell  D.  Trimble, 
Vice- President  and  Manager,  embarked  in  the  business  of  tea- 
planting  and  manufacture,  and  chose  lands  at  Kantowles, 
Colleton  County,  S.  C.,  in  the  vicinity  of  Pinehurst,  as  the 
scene  of  its  operations.  This  company  now  owns  6,500  acres 
of  contiguous  rice-lands,  the  whole  of  which  it  intends  to  pre- 
pare for  the  purpose  of  planting  tea-shrubs. 

This  year,  1902,  the  nurseries  of  the  company  cover  two 
and  one-half  acres  of  land  and  contain  about  one  million  and 
a  half  growing  nurslings;  enough  to  plant  about  300  acres. 
These  nurslings  have  been  raised  on  the  ground  from  seeds  im- 
ported from  China,  Japan,  Formosa,  India,  and  Ceylon  and, 
at  the  present  time,  about  100  acres  have  been  planted  from 
the  nurseries  and  are  under  cultivation  to  the  several  varie- 
ties of  the  above  mentioned  kinds.  Within  the  next  two  or 
three  years  it  is  promised  that  between  1,000  and  2,000  acres 
will  be  in  leaf-bearing,  and  in  such  a  case,  and  should  no  un- 
foreseen calamity  intervene,  the  American  public  may  expect 
to  find  "American  tea"  supplanting  much  of  that  of  foreign 
growth  in  many  of  the  stores  and  homes  of  Americans. 

In  several  widely  separated  sections  of  the  South  experi- 
ments are  being,  and  will  be  undertaken  in  a  systematic  and 
practical  way.  As  a  result  much  enthusiasm  is  manifest  over 
the  probabilities  of  a  new  and  profitable  industry  arising, 
and  it  is  expected  that,  in  the  near  future,  many  estates  will 
be  laid  out  to  tea-culture  on  lands  that  have  been  proved 
to  possess  the  necessary  qualifications. 

It  will,  of  course,  be  several  years  before  American  grow- 
ers will  be  in  a  position  to  supply  the  full  demand  of  Ameri- 
can consumers  for  American  teas,  for,  as  already  stated,  it 
takes  time  fox  the  plants  to  reach  the  age  of  maximum  pro- 
ductiveness. 


66  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

In  the  meantime  it  is  quite  likely  that  much  adverse  crit- 
icism will  be  indulged  in. 

Antagonistic  reports  and  hostile  opinions  are  to  be  ex- 
pected. Such  were  extremely  bitter  in  England  during  the 
infancy  of  the  tea-industry  in  India  and  Ceylon,  but  planters, 
and  the  public  generally,  may  rest  assured  that  reports  of 
the  kind  will  emanate  solely  from  opposedly  interested  sources. 
The  American  retailer  will  do  well  to  test  and  judge  American 
teas  for  himself,  for  he  may  take  it  for  granted  that  the  time 
is  not  very  far  off  when  this  home-grown  article  will  become 
an  important  factor  in  the  tea-trade  of  the  United  States. 
Already  the  representatives  of  Asiatic  tea-growing  countries 
are  studying  the  probabilities  of  American  competition  in 
American  markets ;  reviewing  the  situation  and  reporting,  at 
length,  to  their  home  countries;  striking  evidences  that  it  is 
their  intention  to  prepare  for,  and,  if  possible,  anticipate 
whatever  trade  rivalry  they  may  be  called  upon  to  face. 

American  dealers  have  much  to  gain  by  advertising  and 
otherwise  aiding  and  protecting  the  new  American  industry, 
for,  outside  of  purely  patriotic  motives,  their  individual  in- 
terests are  concerned,  inasmuch  as  these  are  identical  with 
those  of  any  industry  that  will  keep  the  money  spent  for  labor 
and  the  profits  of  the  trade  at  home. 

An  import  duty  on  tea  would  do  much  to  aid  the  enuso 
and  strengthen  the  hands  of  planters,  but,  until  American 
growers  are  in  a  position  to  supply  the  full  demand  of  con- 
sumers, the  imposition  of  such  a  tax  would  be  hurtful  to  their 
interests,  because  it  would  le  looked  upon  as  unjust.  Planters, 
during  the  earlier  years  of  the  industry,  will  find  no  difficulty 
in  disposing  of  their  entire  output  at  profitable  figures,  so 
that,  under  present  circumstances,  it  is  difficult  to  perceive 
wherein  an  import  duty  would  aid  them.  Under  proper  con- 
ditions a  protective  duty  on  tea  would  be  for  the  benefit  of 
the  people  as  a  whole,  for  not  only  would  it  protect  the  indus- 


THE  TEA  GARDENS   OF  THE  WORLD.  67 

try  and  keep  the  trade  and  its  profits  at  home,  but  it  would, 
eventually,  be  the  means  of  putting  an  end  to  the  importation 
of  inferior  and  very  low  grade  leaf,  the  use  of  which  does 
more  to  injure  the  cause  of  the  healthful  beverage  than  any 
other  evil  connected  with  the  trade. 

It  is  quite  likely  that  the  soil  and  climate  of  our  lately 
acquired  colonies,  Hawaii  and  the  Philippine  Islands,  will 
prove  to  be  exceptionally  favorable  to  the  propagation  of  the 
tea-plant,  and,  if  so,  with  the  advantageous  labor  conditions 
existing  in  both,  we  may  look  forward  to  the  time  when  the 
United  States,  as  a  great  tea-producing  nation,  will  enter  into 
serious  competition  with  China,  Japan  and  the  several  British 
countries  for  a  share  of  the  tea-trade  of  the  world. 


CHAPTER    II. 
TEA  FROM  SEED  TO  LEAF. 

BOTANICAL   CLASSIFICATION. 

Scientific  men  appear  to  be  at  some  variance  with  regard 
to  a  proper  botanical  classification  for  the  tea-shrub.  Many 
scientists  agree  that  it  is  a  genus  of  evergreen  shrubs  of  the 
natural  order  Ternstrcemiacece,  closely  allied  to  the  genii- 
Camellia,  and,  as  such,  is  classed  by  Griffith  as  Camellia  thci- 
fera,  and  by  Linklater  as  Camellia  thea.  The  great  botanist, 
Linnaeus,  gives  the  tree  a  distinct  classification  as  Thea  Chin- 
ensis  or  Sinensis,  and  this  classification  is  the  more  frequently 
accepted. 

Davis,  while  differing  with  those  who  class  it  as  a  species 
of  the  camellia,  informs  us  that  with  the  Chinese  "the  camel- 
lia bears  the  same  name  with  the  tea-shrub  and  possesses  most 
of  its  botanical  characters." 

Eein  argues  that  "the  relationship  between  these  two 
plants  (camellia  and  tea-shrub),  from  an  economic  point  of 
view,  is  seen  in  a  still  greater  degree  by  observing  more  clo-dy 
the  entire  structure  of  both,  especially  with  regard  to  blos- 
soms and  fruit,  and  is,  in  fact,  so  great  that  the  tea-plant  has 
come  lately  to  be  looked  upon  by  many  as  only  a  particular 
species  of  the  genus  camellia,  since  there  are  no  generic  dif- 
ferences,— e.  g.,  in  Bentham  and  Hooper's  "Genera  Planta- 
rum." 

Davis,  on  the  other  hand,  informs  us  that  "they,  in  fact, 
constitute  two  genera  very  closely  allied,  the  distinctions  con- 
sisting principally  in  the  seed.  The  seed-vessel  of  the  tea- 
plant  is  a  three-lobed  capsule,  with  the  lobes  strongly  marked, 
and  each  of  them  orf  the  size  of  a  black  currant,  containing 


TEA  FROM  SEED  TO  LEAF.  69 

one  round  seed.  When  ripe,  each,  erf  the  three  lobes  bursts 
vertically  in  the  middle  and  exposes  the  seed.  The  capsule 
of  the  Camellia  is  not  lobular  externally,  but  contains  alto- 
gether three  seeds,  like  that  of  the  tea,  though  of  longer 
shape,"  and  Williams,  who  is  of  opinion  that  "there  is  proba- 
bly only  one  species  of  the  tea-plant,  and  all  the  varieties  have 
resulted  from  culture,"  tells  us  that  "the  principal  differ- 
ence is  in  .the  thin  leaf  of  the  tea  and  the  leathery,  glabrous 
(smooth,  hairless)  leaf  of  the  beautiful  Camellia  Japonica" 

Dr.  Shepard,  whose  recent  practical  experiences  in  the 
cultivation  of  tea-plants  of  all  varieties  in  South  Caro- 
lina should  give  his  opinion  weight,  says:  "Commercial  tea 
is  made  from  the  leaves  of  the  Camellia  Tinea,.  Formerly, 
when  it  was  erroneously  supposed  that  black  and  green  teas 
were  necessarily  made  from  different  plants,  it  was  attempted 
to  distinguish  scientifically  between  the  varieties  used  in  the 
production  of  each;  for,  although  either  sort  may  be  made 
from  the  same  leaf,  experience  will  show  that  each  variety  of 
the  tea-plant  is  better  adapted  for  the  manufacture  of  the 
one  or  the  other.  Practically,"  he  continues,  "it  is  desirable 
to  separate  as  distinct  varieties  the  two  most  divergent  types — 
viz.,  the  Assamese  and  the  Chinese — from  the  many  interme- 
diate sorts  which  have  resulted  from  their  hybridization  or 
are  the  result  of  climatic  and  other  influences  upon  them.  It 
is  claimed  that  the  original  tea-plant  is  indigenous  to  Assam, 
a  province  in  north-eastern  British  India.  *  *  *  It  is 
believed  by  many  that  all  cultivated  tea  owes  its  origin  to 
this  source,  and  that  when  its  utility  to  man  was  recognized 
it  was  thence  carried  to  the  north  and  east,  even  to  the  remote 
and  chilly  northern  islands  of  Japan.  The  result  of  this  cli- 
matic change  was  to  stunt  the  plant  and  shrink  the  foliage 
to  the  small,  dull-colored,  lancet-shaped  leaves  characteristic 
of  the  variety  generally  (but  with  some  injustice)  called 
Chinese." 


70  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

Walsh,  on  the  other  hand,  after  much  investigation  and 
deduction,  inclines  to  the  Linnsean  theory,  which,  while  rec- 
ognizing the  tea-plant  as  belonging  to  the  Camellia  family, 
classes  it  as  Thea  Chine-nsis  or  Sinensis,  the  tea-plant  of 
China,  which  genus  the  theory  divides  into  two  species — viz., 
Thea  Viridis,  green  tea,  and  Thea  Bohea,  black  tea,  to  which 
may  be  added  the  later  species,  Thea  Assamensis  or  Thea  As- 
samica,  Masters,  the  tea-plant  of  India. 

CLIMATE. 


The  tea-plant  may  be  grown  in  any  fairly  temperate  cli- 
mate, but  it  flourishes  to  the  best  advantage  in  the  monsoon 
regions  of  South  and  South-eastern  Asia,  within  the  limits  of 
which  are  situated  the  most  extensive  and  famous  tea-gardens 
of  the  world.  Recent  years  have,  however,  demonstrated  that 
the  plant  will  thrive  in  other  parts  of  the  world;  the  success 
attending  its  cultivation  in  countries  remote  from  its  home, 
going  far  to  prove  that  it  will  prosper  in  any  part  of  the 
world  where  climate  and  soil  are  to  be  found  akin  to  those  of 
its  native  home. 

Ball  informs  us  that  "The  rainfall  should  not  be  less 
than  80  to  100  inches  per  annum,"  and  Fortune  insists  that 
were  it  not  for  the  frequent  summer  showers  which  fall 
copiously  at  the  leaf-picking  time  in  China,  the  repeated 
plucking  of  the  leaves  from  the  tea-bushes  must  be  very  inju- 
rious to  their  health.  "The  rains,"  he  says,  "cause  the  leaf- 
buds  to  burst  out  again  with  fresh  vigor,  and  the  bushes  are 
soon  covered  with  new  leaves.  After  a  careful  consideration 
of  this  subject,"  he  continues,  "it  seems  plain  to  me  that,  how- 
ever favorable  the  climate  may  be  as  regards  temperature,  and 
however  good  the  soil  and  situation  of  the  plantations  may 
be,  yet  without  these  early  summer  rains  it  would  not  be  pos- 


TEA  FROM  SEED  TO  LEAF.  71 

sible  to  cultivate  the  tea-plant  with  success,"  that  is,  com- 
mercially. 

Dr.  Charles  U.  Shepard  in  an  article  written  for  the 
Florida  Times-Union,  published  in  1897,  says,  in  part:  "It 
is  generally  held  that  certain  natural  conditions  of  climate 
are  indispensable  for  the  success  of  tea-culture.  Among  the 
former  are  a  uniformly  warm  but  not  excessively  hot  tempera- 
ture, one  quite  free  from  frosts,  and  an  abundant  rainfall,  its 
copiousness  being  directly  proportional  to  the  intensity  of 
the  heat.  To  which  supposed  essentials  may  be  added  the 
necessity  of  a  deep,  rich,  thoroughly  drained  soil,  since  the 
tea-plant  requires  the  most  abundant  sustenance.  It  will  be 
at  once  suggested  that  a  great  and  apparently  insuperable 
disparity  exists  in  mast  of  these  prerequisites  between  the 
Oriental  tea-countries  and  the  Southern  United  States.  It 
is  true  that  almost  all  of  the  latter  country  is  liable  to  frost 
and  certainly  by  far  the  greater  part  to  occasional  ice;  that 
the  average  rainfall  is  only  half  of  that  of  India.  *  *  * 
Nevertheless,  there  are,  as  we  think,  substantial  reasons  why 
tea  should  be  extensively  cultivated  in  this  country." 

"It  is  not  necessary,"  Dr.  Shepard  continues,  "that  the 
annual  rainfall  should  exceed  60  inches  where  the  average 
temperature  is  less  than  70  degrees  F.,  especially  if  the 
greater  part  of  the  yearly  precipitation  occurs  in  the  growing 
season.  This  is  true  of  Japan,  China,  the  higher  altitudes  of 
Ceylon,  and  some  districts  of  India,  where  altogether  the 
greater  part  of  the  world's  tea  is  produced.  And  by  a  proper 
treatment  of  the  soil,  by  underdrainage,  subsoil  plowing,  and 
deep  pulverization,  a  gain  of  moisture  equivalent  to  a  fall 
of  10  to  15  inches  of  rain  is  secured.  This  effect  is  enhanced 
by  planting  cowpeas  between  the  tea-bushes,  whose  roots  pene- 
trate the  soil,  and  dying  not  only  leave  valuable  food  for  the 
tea,  but  render  the  earth  much  more  porous  and  capable  of 
retaining  moisture  during  seasons  of  drought." 


72  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

"There  is  probably  no  place  in  the  United  States  where 
the  rainfall  is  sufficient  for  the  best  results  with  the  tea- 
plant,"  Dr.  Shepard  tells  us  in  his  introduction  to  Report  Xo. 
61,  1899,  to  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture,  "and  irrigation 
should,  when  possible,  be  provided  for  in  growing  tea." 

"The  tea-plant  can  grow  where  the  thermometer  falls 
below  the  freezing  point,"  says  Ball,  and  Rein  tells  us  that 
"In  the  lower  temperature  belt  for  tea-culture,  not  only  in 
northern  China  and  Japan,  but  also  in  the  Himalayas,  the 
bushes  are  often  exposed  to  frosts  in  Winter,  which  may  be 
as  severe  as  —  9°  C.,  without  killing  them,  but  it  cannot  be 
too  hot  for  the  tea-plant  if  the  heat  is  accompanied  by  moist- 
ure." "The  yield  is  double  in  a  hot  and  moist  climate," 
Ball  continues,  "  to  what  it  is  in  a  comparatively  dry  and  tem- 
perate one,  for  it  yields  most  abundantly  with  hot  sunshine 
and  showers  and  with  the  rain  equally  diffused." 

"Frosts  and  brief  periods  of  cold  curtail  the  production 
of  tea,"  Dr.  Shepard  wrote  in  1897,  "but  some  of  the  choicest 
brands,  particularly  those  of  great  flavor,  come  from  climates 
whose  temperature  often  falls  in  Winter  below  32  degrees  F. 
A  decided  gain  in  quality  compensates  for  a  lesser  yield  in 
quantity."  Writing  again  in  1899,  Dr.  Shepard  says :  "Tea- 
growing  can  be  undertaken  safely  only  where  the  temperature 
rarely  goes  lower  than  25  degrees  F.  and  never  below  zero." 

During  the  Winter  of  1898-99  the  tea-plantation  at  Pine- 
hurst,  South  Carolina,  furnished  conclusive  proof  af  the  ex- 
treme hardiness  of  the  shrub,  and  the  excessive  cold  to  which 
the  plants  were  then  exposed  went  far  to  upset  previously 
conceived  theories  as  to  the  extent  of  cold  the  exotic  could 
successfully  withstand.  "The  past  Winter,"  Dr.  Shepard 
writes,  "has  fortunately  (for  the  sake  of  most  conclusively 
testing  the  feasibility  of  the  local  cultivation  of  tea)  sub- 
jected the  gardens  to  an  extraordinary  ordeal,  viz.,  the  great- 
est cold  in  one  hundred  and  fifty  years — the  fall  of  the  ther- 


TEA  FROM  SEED  TO  LEAP.  73 

mometer  on  the  morning  of  February  14  to  half  a  degree  be- 
low zero  F.  Happily  this  occurred  when  the  ground  was  cov- 
ered to  the  depth  of  five  inches  with  snow.  It  was  observed 
that  those  plants  which  were  in  the  most  exposed  situations 
suffered  the  least,  having  been  brought  by  the  previous  cold 
weather  into  a  state  of  hibernation  which  enabled  them  to 
withstand  the  extreme  cold.]  whereas  those  which  were  in  shel- 
tered positions  or  in  the  most  luxuriant  growth  suffered 
greatly  in  all  parts  above  the  snow  level.  The  result  was,  that 
it  was  found  necessary  to  rigorously  prune  back  to  within  a 
few  inches  of  the  ground  all  of  the  bushes.  *  *  *  *  On 
May  1  every  clump  of  shorn  roots  was  more  or  less  covered 
with  a  thrifty  outburst  of  young  vegetation." 

Thus  it  will  be  observed  that  the  tea-plant,  although  orig- 
inally from  a  subtropical  climate,  can  endure  extreme  cold, 
and,  under  a  correct  treatment,  will  thrive  in  climates  hitherto 
thought  to  be  too  rigorous. 

SOIL. 

Ball  informs  us  that  "though  tea  will  grow  in  poor  soil,  it 
has  been  proved,  by  experiments  in  India,  that  the  best  soil 
for  it  is  a  friable,  light-colored,  porous  one,  with  a  fair  pro- 
portion of  sand  and  a  superabundance  of  decaying  vegetable 
matter  on  the  surface/' 

Bohn  says  that  "the  soil  in  which  the  tea-plants  are  reared 
is  a  decomposition  of  granite,  abounding  in  feldspar,  as  is 
proved  by  the  same  soil  being  used  in  the  manufacture  of  por- 
celain." Thus,  as  Davis  facetiously  observes,  "the  soil  pro- 
duces the  tea  and  the  cups  in  which  it  is  drunk." 

Gorst  informs  us  that  the  tea-plant  "nourishes  best  in  a 
sandy  soil,"  and  Fortune  personally  noted  that  "the  soil  of 
these  plantations  (Chinese)  consisted  of  a  red-colored  loam 
mixed  with  a  considerable  portion  of  sand  and  gravel."  The 


74  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

reason  for  choosing  this  sandy,  gravelly  soil  is  obvious,  for 
as  Rein  observes,  "Atmospheric  water  flows  off  easily  from 
gently  inclined  ground  of  this  sort  (sandy  loam)  without  car- 
rying away  good  earth."  Davis  saw  the  tea-shrubs  succeeding 
best  on  the  sides  of  mountains,  where  there  is  a  small  accumu- 
lation of  vegetable  soil.  "We  observed  it  always,"  he  con- 
tinues, "elevated  above  the  plains,  in  situations  where  the 
soil  was  a  disintegration  of  sandstone  or  of  granite,  or  where 
the  soil  was  composed  partly  of  a  micaceous  sand." 

"Select  level  land,"  says  Dr.  Shepard,  "naturally  moist, 
but  free  from  stagnant  water;  the  soil  should  be  light  and 
porous,  rich  in  thoroughly  decomposed  organic  matter,  and  as 
deep  as  possible.  The  subsoil  should  be  self-draining  and  pre- 
sent no  obstacle  to  the  deep  penetration  of  the  taproot." 

"Analyses  of  the  best  Indian  tea-soils,"  he  contimu-s, 
"show  a  great  deficiency  of  lime,  an  absence  of  sulphuric  acid, 
the  constant  occurrence  of  manganese,  and  a  large  amount  of 
nitrogen,  as  also  considerable  quantities  of  potash  and  mag- 
nesia micas.  The  best  Chinese,  Japanese  and  Javanese  tea- 
soils  are  said  to  contain  a  great  deal  of  ferruginous  clay,  and 
to  be  likewise  deficient  in  lime.  The  high  quality  of  the 
Formosa  tea  has  been  attributed  to  the  large  content  of  iron 
in  the  soil.  At  Pinehurst  experiments  have  been  conducted 
on  sandy,  clayey  and  bottom  lands;  on  level  fields,  on  hill- 
sides and  in  drained  ponds,  with  the  result  that  we  earnestly 
recommend  level  lands  thoroughly  drained,  porous  to  as  great 
a  depth  as  possible,  and  sweet,  i.  e.,  free  from  all  virginal 
acidity.  It  was  early  recognized  that  none  of  our  lands 
afforded  sufficiently  abundant  and  quick  plant-food  to  stimu- 
late and  maintain  that  unusually  luxuriant  growth  which  is 
indispensable  in  a  successful  tea-garden.  Consequently,  all 
have  received  abundant  enrichment."  "The  manures  em- 
ployed at  Pinehurst  are  carefully  preserved  stable  compost, 
(fortified  with  acid  phosphate  and  kainit)  wherever  it  can 


TEA  FROM  SEED  TO  LEAF.  75 

be  profitably  utilized,  and  commercial  fertilizers  rich  in  solu- 
ble potash  and  available  nitrogen,  with  a  modicum  of  soluble 
phosphates.  New  land  gets  with  us  a  heavy  dressing  of 
burned  marl  in  advance  of  cultivation.  The  tea-plant  de- 
mands the  richest  of  food  and  plenty  of  it." 

THE  PLAttT  AND  LEAF. 

It  is  usual  to  refer  to  the  tea-plant  as  an  evergreen  bush, 
shrub,  or  plant,  because,  under  cultivation,  its  natural  height 
is  kept  down  by  constant  pruning  or  trimming,  but  in  a 
state  of  nature  it  becomes  a  fair  sized  tree,  reaching  a  height 
of  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  feet,  and,  we  are  told  that,  in  the 
jungle-forests  of  Assam,  it  grows  to  a  height  of  thirty  to  forty 
feet.  Under  cultivation  it  is  not  allowed  to  exceed  a  height 
of  from  three  to  six  feet,  the  constant  trimming  of  its 
branches  and  plucking  of  its  leaves  causing  it  to  flush  out  and 
put  forth  a  greater  number  of  bushy  branches  which  run  to 
breadth  instead  of  to  height,  a  result  which  is,  of  course,  in- 
tended in  order  to  facilitate  the  picking  of  the  leaves,  as  well 
as  to  produce  a  more  abundant  harvest. 

Williams  informs  us  that  in  China  "the  plants  seldom 
exceed  three  feet,  most  of  them  are  half  that  height;  strag- 
gling and  full  of  twigs,  often  covered  with  lichens,  but  well 
hoed  and  clean  around  their  roots." 

The  trimming  of  the  plant  is  done  in  the  colder  part 
of  the  year,  when  the  sap  is  at  its  least.  This  operation  re- 
quires considerable  skill  and  intelligence,  and  is  a  most  im- 
portant part  of  the  business  of  tea-gardening. 

"The  wood  of  the  tea-tree  is  hard  and  light-colored,"  says 
Eein,  "and  its  stem  puts  forth  many  branches.  Its  bark  is 
smooth,  light  ash-colored,  resembling  that  of  the  beech.  The 
bark  of  the  younger  branches  is  brownish  in  color.  The  leaves 
are  persistent,  short-stemmed  and  from  elliptical  to  narrow 


76  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

lanceolate,  sharply  serrated,  with  a  bright,  lasting,  dark-green 
polish,  covered,  when  young,  with  a  white  down  or  silken  hair, 
which  drops  off  in  the  course  of  development."  This  white 
down  or  silken  hair  is  called  by  the  Chinese  "Pak-ho,"  hence 
the  tea-term  "Pekoe." 

Williams  informs  us  that  "the  tea-flower  is  small,  single 
and  white,  has  no  smell  and  soon  falls."  Rein  speaks  of  it 
as  being  "almost  odorless"  and  Walsh  reports  that  it  is 
"slightly  fragrant." 

The  fruit,  according  to  Rein,  "is  a  round,  three- 
chambered,  three-seeded  capsule,  looking  as  if  it  consisted  of 
three  balls  partly  pressed  into  one  another,  growing  to  one 
side."  "The  oily  seeds,"  he  continues,  "enclosed  in  a  hard 
shell,  are  spherical,  as  large  as  a  cherry  stone  and  the  color 
of  a  hazel-nut."  To  the  taste  the  tea-seed  is  oily  and  bitter. 
As  already  stated,  the  genus  Thea  Sinensis  is  divided  into 
two  species,  viz. :  Thea  Viridis  and  Thea  Bohea,  to  which 
may  be  added  the  so-called  Thea  Assamensis,  or  Indian 
species. 

These  species  vary  considerably  in  size  and  shape  of 
leaf,  blossom,  and  general  characteristics,  the  variance  creat- 
ing the  species. 

77,' ro.  Viridis,  or  the  Green  Tea-plant,  is,  accord- 
ing to  Rein,  "a  quick-growing  bush,  which  is  hardier 
than  Thea  Bohea.  Its  leaves  are  lanceolate,  one  to  two 
inches  long,  with  a  breadth  one-third  as  great.  They  have 
coarse,  irregularly  indented  edges,  often  somewhat  undulat- 
ing, thin  and  of  a  light-green  color.  The  blossoms,  which 
are  large,  grow  mostly  singly."  This  species  is  mainly  culti- 
vated in  the  northern  tea-districts  of  China  and  its  leaves 
produce  the  China  green  teas  of  commerce,  viz.,  Gunpowders, 
Young  Hysons,  Imperials,  Hysons  and  Twankays. 

Thea  Bohea,  or  the  Black  Tea-plant,  "remains  much 
smaller,"  continues  Reii).  "It  is  more  sensitive  to  the  cold 


THEA    CHINENSIS— BRANCH    OF    JAPAN    TEA    PLANT. 


TEA  FROM  SEED  TO  LEAF.  77 

than  is  Th.  Viridis.  Its  branches  and  twigs  are  stiff,  like 
its  leaves,  which  are  of  an  elongated,  elliptical  shape,  scarcely 
half  as  long  as  those  of  Th.  Viridis,  and  are  smooth  and  regu- 
larly serrated.  The  bushes  bloom  luxuriantly,  often  having 
two  or  three  blossoms  at  the  base  of  each  leaf." 

The  a  Bohea  is  cultivated  in  the  central  and  southern  tea- 
districts  of  China  and  its  leaves  produce  the  China  black 
teas  of  commerce,  viz.,  Congous,  Souchongs,  Ooloongs,  Pe- 
koes and  Scented  teas. 

Thea  Assamensis  (Assamica,  Masters)  is  the  species 
(some  claim  that  it  is  not  a  species  of,  or  even  a  true  tea) 
which  was  discovered  in  1826  growing  apparently  wild  in 
the  forests  of  upper  Assam.  "When  cultivated  it  is  a  beau- 
tiful little  tree.  Compared  with  the  Chinese  varieties  its 
leaves  are  very  large,  elliptically  pointed,  from  three  to  five 
inches  in  length  and  half  as  broad,  smooth  and  strongly 
veined."  Thea  Assamensis  is  much  more  productive  than 
either  of  the  Chinese  species  and,  in  consequence,  the  Indian 
tea-growers  obtain  many  more  pickings  than  are  obtained 
from  the  Chinese  or  Japanese  plants. 

"The  Hybrid,  or  cross  between  the  Assam  plant  and 
the  tea-plant  of  China,  which  is  now  much  grown  in  India, 
combines  the  richness  in  leaf -production  and  the  strength  in 
infusion  of  the  Indian  type,  with  the  compactness,  hardiness 
and  pleasant  aroma  of  the  Chinese." 

The  Japanese  are  indebted  to  the  Chinese  for  the  intro- 
duction of  the  tea-plant  to  Japan,  which  event,  we  are  told, 
took  place  more  than  a  thousand  years  ago.  After  its  in- 
troduction it  seems  that  the  cultivation  was  neglected  and 
its  use  practically  abandoned.  In  the  thirteenth  century  seeds 
were  again  imported  from  China,  and  soon  afterwards  the 
use  of  the  beverage  received  royal  patronage  and  became 
national. 

The  preparation  of  the  leaf  in  Japan  is  somewhat  dif- 


78  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

ferent  to  the  Chinese  method,  although  in  result  it  is  the 
same.  All,  or  nearly  all  Japan  teas  are  green,  and,  strange 
as  it  may  appear,  the  plants  are  of  the  Thea  Bohea  or  Black 
tea  species. 

Rein  in  his  "Industries  of  Japan"  writes  as  follows: 
"Almost  all  Japanese  tea  is  green,  though  coming  from  sev- 
eral varieties  of  low-trimmed  Bohea  bushes.  I  have  scarcely 
anywhere  seen  (in  Japan)  the  form  Thea  Viridis." 

The  seeds  and  plants,  therefore,  which  were  originally 
imported  by  the  Japanese  from  China  must  have  been  of  the 
Thea  Bohea  species,  and  the  fact  that  the  Japanese  produce 
a  green  tea  from  a  supposedly  black  tea-plant  is  a  seeming 
paradox.  In  explanation  of  this  it  may  be  said  that  the  kind 
and  color  of  commercial  tea  is  a  matter  of  manufacture 
only.  A  manipulator  can,  at  will,  produce  a  green  or  a  black 
tea  from  either  species  of  the  plant,  and,  further,  he  can,  if 
desired,  produce  from  the  leaves  of  one  and  the  same  plant, 
a  Gunpowder  tea,  a  Cong5u,  a  Souchong,  an  Ooloong  or  a 
Japan  green.  In  further  explanation  and  to  correct  an  erro- 
neous popular  belief,  a  quotation  from  Fortune's  "Tea  Dis- 
tricts of  China"  will  go  far  towards  making  the  matter  ex- 
plicit. 

He  says :  "The  plant  in  cultivation  about  Canton,  f rom 
which  Canton  teas  are  made,  is  known  to  botanists  as  the 
Thea  Bohea,  while  the  northern  variety,  found  in  the  green 
tea-country,  has  been  called  Thea  Viridis.  The  first  appears 
to  have  been  named  upon  the  supposition  that  all  the  black 
teas  of  the  Bohea  Mountains  were  obtained  from  this  spe- 
cies (Thea  Bohea)  and  the  second  was  called  Viridis  because 
it  furnished  the  green  teas  of  commerce.  These  names  seem 
to  have  misled  the  public,  and  hence  many  persons,  until  a 
few  years  back,  firmly  believed  that  black  tea  could  be  made 
only  from  Thea  Bohea,  and  green  tea  only  from  Thea  Viri- 
dis." "In  my  'Wanderings  in  China',"  he  continues,  "I  made 


TEA  FROM  SEED  TO  LEAF.  79 

some  observations  upon  the  plants  from  which  tea  is  made 
in  different  parts  of  China.  While  I  acknowledged  that  the 
Canton  plant,  known  to  botanists  as  Thea  Bohea,  appeared 
distinct  from  the  more  northern  one  called  Thea  Viridis,  I 
endeavored  to  show  that  both  green  and  black  teas  could  be 
made  from  either,  and  that  the  difference  in  the  appearance 
af  these  teas,  in  so  far  as  color  was  concerned,  depended  upon 
manipulation  and  upon  that  only. 

It  is  quite  true  that  the  Chinese  rarely  make  the  two 
kinds  of  tea  (green  and  black)  in  one  district,  but  this  is 
more  for  the  sake  of  convenience  and  from  custom  than  for 
any  other  reason.  The  workmen,  too,  generally  make  that 
kind  of  tea  best  with  which  they  have  had  most  practice. 
But  while  this  is  generally  the  case  in  the  great  tea-districts, 
there  are  some  exceptions.  It  is  now  well  known  that  the  fine 
Moning  districts  near  the  Poyang  Lake,  and  which  are  daily 
rising  in  importance  on  account  of  the  superior  character 
of  their  Hack  teas,  formerly  produced  nothing  else  but  green 
teas.  At  Canton,  green  and  black  teas  are  made  from  the 
Thea  Bohea  at  the  pleasure  of  the  manufacturer  and  accord- 
ing to  demand." 

Mr.  Lettsom  also  understood  this  subject  as  Mr.  For- 
tune did.  In  his  "Natural  History  of  the  Tea-Tree/'  pub- 
lished in  1799,  he  says: 

"There  is  only  one  species  of  this  plant,  for  the  differ- 
ence between  green  and  Bohea  (black)  tea  depends  on  the 
nature  of  the  soil,  the  cultivation  and  the  method  of  drying 
the  leaves.  It  has  even  been  observed  that  a  green  tea-tree 
planted  in  the  Bohea  district  will  yield  Bohea  (black)  tea, 
and  likewise  the  contrary." 

Mr.  Williams  in  his  excellent  work,  "The  Middle  King- 
dom," is  just  as  explicit  upon  this  subject.  He  says :  "While 
the  leaves  of  each  species  of  the  shrub  can  be  cured  into 
either  green  or  black  tea,  the  workmen  in  one  district  are 


80  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

able,  by  practice,  to  produce  one  kind  in  a  superior  style  and 
quality;  those  in  another  region  will  do  better  with  another 
kind.  Soil,  too,  has  a  great  influence,  as  it  has  in  grape- 
culture,  in  modifying  the  produce." 

It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  the  color  and  kind  of  tea 
produced  depends  upon  its  manipulation,  but  that  conven- 
ience, ancient  custom,  and,  of  more  importance  still,  the  fit- 
ness of  the  leaf  itself,  confines  the  green  and  black  districts 
to  distinctive  localities. 

The  tea-plant  or  tree  is  exceedingly  long-lived  and,  if 
allowed  to  grow  undisturbed  by  man,  will  thrive  for  several 
hundred  years.  Some  of  the  very  finest  Japan  leaf  is  picked 
from  bushes  which  are  said  to  be  over  two  hundred  years  old,' 
the  young  leaves  of  these  old  trees  being  eagerly  sought  in 
Japan.  At  the  old  Middleton  Barony  on  the  Ashley  River, 
some  fifteen  miles  from  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  there  is 
still  growing  a  healthy  tea-tree  which  was  brought  from  China 
in  the  year  1800.  Today  this  tree  is  102  }Tears  old,  is  some 
fifteen  feet  in  height,  and  still  flourishing. 

CULTIVATION  AND   PICKING. 


CHINA. — Throughout  the  tea-districts  of  China  the  tea- 
plants  are  raised  from  seeds,  which  are  annually  gathered 
from  the  shrubs  in  October,  after  the  last  crop  of  leaves  has 
been  harvested.  Great  care  is  exercised  in  protecting  the 
seeds  during  the  succeeding  Winter  months,  so  that  they  may 
be  fresh  and  possess  life  in  the*  Spring.  After  gathering,  the 
seeds  are  exposed  to  the  warm  rays  of  the  sun  until  every 
suspicion  of  dampness  is  evaporated;  then  they  are  carefully 
packed  in  sand  and  earth,  where  they  remain  until  planting 
time  arrives  in  the  Spring.  Before  planting  they  are  placed 
to  soak  in  cold  water  for  twenty-four  hours,  and,  after  this, 


TEA  FROM  SEED  TO  LEAF.  81 

they  are  deposited  in  cloth  bags  and  placed  in  a  warm  room 
where  they  become  gradually  dry.  This  process  of  aiding 
nature,  or  rather  forcing  it,  is  continued  until  the  seeds  be- 
gin to  sprout,  when  they  are  planted  in  a  nursery  and  care- 
fully watched,  watered,  and  tended  until  the  resulting  nurs- 
lings are  large  and  strong  enough  to  be  transplanted  to  the 
tea-garden.  This  usually  takes  place  when  the  nurslings  are 
about  one  year  old,  and  are  about  nine  to  twelve  inches  in 
height.  In  some  parts  of  China,  according  to  recent  ac- 
counts, the  young  plants  are  transplanted  at  a  more  youthful 
age;  when  about  four  inches  high.  This,  however,  could  only 
occur  in  parts  of  the  country  where  the  climate  is  mild 
enough  to  permit  early  transplantation.  When  planted  out 
in  the  tea-gardens  the  young  plants  are  always  given  plenty 
of  space  to  bush  out,  being  set  out  in  rows  about  four  feet 
apart,  several  plants  being  set  together  in  each  hole.  The 
space  between  rows  is  usually  three  to  four  feet  wide,  which 
gives  ample  room  for  the  pickers  of  the  leaves  to  move  along, 
and  for  the  shrubs  to  spread.  As  is  natural,  the  young  plan- 
tations are  started  in  the  Spring,  in  anticipation  of  the 
abundant  rainfall  which  is  usual  in  those  regions  at  the 
change  of  the  Monsoon  in  April  and  May. 

After  transplantation  little  labor  is  expended  upon  the 
young  plants;  a  beneficent  sunshine  and  plenteous  rainfall 
giving  health  and  vigor  to  the  entire  plantation,  and  aiding 
the  young  plants  to  thoroughly  establish  themselves  in  their 
new  quarters.  The  ground  around  the  roots  is  kept  free  from 
weeds,  but,  with  this  exception,  until  the  time  arrives  for  the 
first  picking  of  the  leaves,  no  labor,  of  consequence,  is  neces- 
sary. 

The  native  Chinese  are,  naturally,  expert  gardeners,  and, 
consequently,  are  careful  in  plucking  the  leaves  when  the 
time  arrives  for  that  operation.  To  strip  a  plant  entirely  of 
its  leaves  would  be  the  means  of  destroying  its  life;  to  strip 


82  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

it  carelessly,  too  frequently,  or  unduly  would  be  very  prejudi- 
cial to  ks  health;  so  not  only  are  the  farmer-growers  exceed- 
ingly careful  as  to  the  quantity  of  leaves  culled  from  a  plant, 
but  they  are  careful,  also,  that  the  plant  is  in  a  strong  and 
vigorous  condition  before  they  commence  picking  its  leaves 
at  all. 

"The  young  plantations  are  generally  allowed  to  grow 
unmolested  for  from  two  to  three  years,"  says  Mr.  Fortune, 
"or  until  they  are  well  established  and  are  producing  strong 
and  vigorous  shoots;  it  would  be  considered  very  bad  man- 
agement to  begin  to  pluck  the  leaves  until  this  is  the  case. 
Even  when  the  plantations  were  in  full  bearing  I  observed 
that  the  natives  never  took  many  leaves  from  the  weaker 
plants,  and  sometimes  passed  them  altogether,  in  order  that 
their  growth  might  not  be  checked." 

The  length  of  life  of  a  cultivated  tea-shrub  depends 
altogether  upon  circumstances.  A  garden,  with  careful  treat- 
ment, will  continue  to  yield  for  from  eight  to  twelve  years; 
after  that  age,  the  constant  picking  deprives  the  plant  of  fur- 
ther vigor,  and  it  becomes  unproductive  of  the  kind  of  !• 
that  are  commercially  valuable;  then  it  is  removed  to  make 
place  for  younger  plants  of  its  kind. 

Great  care  is  taken  by  the  Chinese  in  picking  the  leaves; 
only  one  leaf  from  each  stalk  being  removed,  so  that  an  expert 
picker  can  gather  not  to  exceed  ten  to  fifteen  pounds  a  day. 
Fifteen  pounds  of  leaves  a  day,  indeed,  is  considered  excep- 
tionally good  picking,  for  which  the  pay  equals  about  eight 
cents,  American.  A  tea-plant  will  yield  from  one  to  two 
ounces  of  green  leaves  at  a  picking,  according  to  the  size,  age, 
and  vigor  of  the  plant,  and  when  the  various  processes,  to 
which  the  green  leaves  are  subjected  in  their  preparation  for 
market,  are  completed,  the  shrinkage  equals  about  four-fifths 
of  the  green  weight,  thus  giving  a  manufactured  product  of 
one-fifth  the  weight  of  the  unmanufactured  leaves. 


TEA  FROM  SEED  TO  LEAF.  83 

Extreme  care  is  also  taken  in  handling  the  leaves  during 
the  process  of  picking,  notwithstanding  the  reports  of  inter- 
ested persons  to  the  contrary.  CLEANLINESS  is  ABSOLUTE, 
and,  in  fact,  is  necessary  in  order  to  prevent  the  leaves  from 
absorbing  obnoxious  foreign  flavors,  which  would  undoubtedly 
result  were  careless  or  uncleanly  hands  allowed  to  touch 
them.  Gloves  are  worn  during  the  pickings,  and  the  pickers 
are  forced  to  bathe  several  times  daily  during  the  picking 
season.  Women  and  children  only  are  employed  and  it  is 
said  that  they  are  forced  to  abstain  from  eating  strong- 
flavored  or  uncleanly  food  during  the  entire  picking  season 
for  the  aforesaid  reason.  The  bamboo  baskets  into  which  the 
green  leaves  are  deposited  as  they  are  picked,  receive  as  much 
cleanly  care  as  the  pickers  themselves,  so  that  the  entire 
operation  is,  above  all  else,  cleanly.  This  extreme  care  in 
the  handling  of  the  product  costs  the  farmer  nothing,  and  is, 
naturally,  to  his  advantage,  for  no  one  knows  better  than  he 
that  the  renown  of  his  production,  and,  consequently,  the 
price  that  he  will  obtain  for  it,  depends  absolutely  upon  its 
quality  and  condition.  The  reputation  of  his  crop  is  much 
to  the  native  farmer,  who  aspires  to  become  known  as  the 
producer  of  the  best  teas  in  his  vicinity.  This  engenders  a 
friendly  rivalry  among  the  growers  and  the  result  is,  natur- 
ally, a  pure,  clean  and  healthful  leaf. 

Several  pickings  or  crops  occur  during  the  season,  usu- 
ally three.  The  first  takes  place  from  the  middle  of  April  to 
ihe  first  week  in  May,  according  to  season,  when  the  youngest 
leaves  only  are  taken.  These  young  leaves,  so  full  of  deli- 
cate sap,  form  the  best  of  the  farmer's  crop,  and  receive,  at 
his  hands,  more  careful  handling  than  those  of  succeeding 
crops,  for  the  extremest  care  is  necessary  in  order  to  prevent 
damage  to  the  tender  leaves  and  leaf-buds,  which  are  much 
more  liable  to  injury  than  are  the  older  and  stronger  leaves 
of  subsequent  pickings.  The  second  picking  or  crop  occurs 


84  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

about  the  first  of  June  and  gives  to  the  farmer  his  largest  leaf- 
harvest,  although  inferior  in  quality  to  the  first.  Less  care 
is  exercised  in  the  picking  of  the  second  crop  and  more  leaves 
are  culled  than  at  the  first  picking,  but  just  as  much  care  is 
taken  in  the  matter  of  cleanliness. 

The  third  picking  occurs  in  July  and  affords  a  further 
heavy  yield  if  the  season  is  propitious,  but  is  of  a  greatly  in- 
ferior quality. 

As  each  picking  proceeds  the  leaves  are  partially  cured 
by  the  farmer  and  stored  to  await  the  coming  of  the  tea-men 
or  buyers,  who  are  sent  throughout  the  country  districts  by 
the  tea-merchants  in  the  larger  cities  oi  the  districts  to  pur- 
chase the  crops  of  farmers.  The  teas  of  the  vicinity  are,  by 
this  means,  gathered  together  to  the  large  local  cities  and 
there  treated  as  described  in  a  following  chapter  entitled 
"Tea  From  Leaf  to  Cup." 

JAPAN. — The  native  Japanese  are,  like  their  kinsfolk, 
the  Chinese,  expert  gardeners  and  are  very  capable  of  culti- 
vating the  tea-plant  to  the  very  best  advantage.  As  in  China 
the  plants  are  raised  from  seed,  although  many  of  the  farm- 
ers utilize  the  public  nurseries  from  which  growing  tea- 
plants  may  be  purchased. 

The  seeds  are  sown  in  the  fall  orf  the  year,  immediately 
after  the  pickings  are  completed,  or  else  in  the  Spring  of  the 
succeeding  year. 

Tea-seeds  easily  lose  their  reproductive  power,  a  heavy 
proportion  proving  defective.  For  this  reason  great  care  is 
exercised  in  preserving  those  that  are  held  over  from  the  time 
of  gathering  in  the  Fall  until  planting  time  in  the  Spring, 
which  is  done,  as  in  China,  by  keeping  them  in  a  cool  place, 
in  a  mixture  of  sand  and  earth. 

The  garden  spot  having  been  well  worked  and  manured 
in  the  early  Spring  is  then  ready  to  receive  the  seeds  which 


TEA  FROM  SEED  TO  LEAF.  85 

are  planted  in  rows  and  covered  with  a  few  inches  of  soil.  In 
two  months  the  seeds  begin  to  sprout ;  the  plants'  are  several 
inches  high  at  the  end  of  the  first  year ;  throw  out  side  shoots 
the  second  year  and  are  ready  for  the  first  picking  with  the 
third  or  fourth  year. 

In  order  to  obtain  bushy  plantations  many  plants  are 
planted  in  one  hole  so  that  they  may  unite  and  form  one 
cluster,  for  it  has  been  discovered  that  the  production  is 
greater  when  the  plants  are  set  out  close  together,  and  the 
method  affords  more  room  for  the  workmen  to  move  around 
the  plants  and  to  keep  the  ground  freer  of  weeds. 

While  it  is  by  no  means  the  general  rule,  it  frequently 
happens  that  a  farmer  will  allow  for  a  considerable  space 
between  the  rows  of  tea-plants,  and  cultivate  crops  of  the  to- 
bacco-plant, vegetables,  etc.,  in  the  intervening  ground. 

At  three  to  four  years  of  age  the  plants  begin  to  pro- 
duce and,  with  the  succeeding  years,  the  crop  increases  until 
the  tenth  or  twelfth  year,  after  which  the  yearly  pickings 
steadily  decline  in  quantity  and  quality,  and  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  to  eighteen  years  the  plant  has  outlived  its  usefulness 
as  a  commercial  producer  and  is  rooted  out  to  make  place  for 
others. 

In  Japan,  as  in  China,  three  annual  pickings  occur,  the 
first  beginning  in  the  last  week  of  April  or  the  first  week  of 
May,  according  to  the  season,  and  lasting  for  from  two  to 
three  weeks.  This  first  crop  produces  Japan's  highest  grade 
teas,  a  heavy  proportion  of  which  is  retained  for  home  con- 
sumption. At  the  manufacturing  and  shipping  ports  of 
Yokohama  and  Kobe,  the  advent  of  the  picking  season  inau- 
gurates a  period  of  great  activity,  which  lasts  until  the  ship- 
ments of  the  latest  crop  teas  have  been  made  abroad. 

At  the  "turn  of  the  leaf,"  that  is  for  a  very  short  period 
between  the  first  and  second  pickings,  a  small  crop  is  har- 
vested, and  this  leaf  is  very  distinctive,  having  a  peculiar 


86  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

orange,  or  somewhat  like  an  Ooloong  flavor.  By  some  buyers 
in  this  country  this  leaf  is  sought  on  account  of  its  flavor. 
The  second  crop  or  picking  occurs  from  four  to  six  weeks  after 
the  first;  that  is  from  the  first  to  the  fifteenth  of  June.  This 
crop,  like  that  of  China,  is  quite  heavy  and  constitutes  the 
bulk  of  teas  for  exportation. 

The  third  crop  is  harvested  in  July  or  August,  but  it 
frequently  happens  that  this  crop  remains  unpicked,  for  the 
reason  that  the  second  crop  usually  produces  a  sufficiency  of 
medium  and  low  grade  teas  to  supply  the  foreign  and  do- 
mestic demand.  A  third  picking  is  alsa  likely  to  injure  the 
shrubs  and,  for  this  reason,  the  farmers  prefer  not  to  pick  it 
except  in  exceptional  seasons. 

INDIA. — As  already  stated,  the  tea-plantations  of  India 
and  Ceylon  differ  very  materially  from  those  of  China  and 
Japan.  It  is  simply  the  difference  between  the  old-fashioned 
methods  of  a  very  conservative  people  and  the  business-like 
system  of  a  progressive  nation  of  manufacturers. 

The  tea-estates  of  India  and  Ceylon  are  usually  owned  and 
operated  by  British  stock  companies.  In  such  a  case,  capital  is 
unlimited  for  the  purpose  and  the  plantations  are,  from  their 
inauguration,  laid  out  and  conducted  in  a  wholesale  way.  No 
risk  of  failure  is  taken,  for  a  thorough  knowledge  of  every  con- 
dition has,  from  past  experiences,  been  gained  by  the 
planters. 

After  the  land  has  been  selected,  the  jungle-trees  and 
underbrush  are  cleared  so  that  an  open  space  of  200  to  500 
acres,  or  more,  is  obtained.  Here  the  factory  is  erected  and 
the  business  of  growing  and  manufacturing  tea  is  com- 
menced, every  detail  of  which,  both  present  and  future,  being 
superintended  by  experienced  and  well-paid  Europeans. 

The  seeds  are  obtained  and  sowed  in  nurseries  upon  the 
grounds,  where  they  remain  until  the  resulting  young  plants 


TEA  FROM  SEED  TO  LEAF.  87 

have  reached  a  height  of  from  10  to  18  inches,  which  is  usu- 
ally about  six  months  after  sowing.  The  nurslings  are  then 
planted  in  the  gardens  in  long  parallel  rows  about  four  feet 
apart.  These  rows  usually  run  as  straight  across  the  planta- 
tion as  the  nature  of  the  surface  ground  will  permit,  and  at 
a  distance  of  about  four  feet  one  from  the  other.  This  dispo- 
sition of  the  rows  of  nurslings  allows  plenty  of  room  for  the 
spreading  or  bushing  out  of  the  shrubs  when  grown  and 
gives  space  enough  between  rows,  and  around  bushes,  for  the 
cultivators  and  pickers  to  work.  After  the  nurslings  have 
been  transplanted  and  placed  in  position  they  remain  un- 
touched for  about  a  year,  the  soil  about  their  roots,  in  the 
meantime,  receiving  every  attention  necessary  in  the  way  of 
hoeing,  weeding  and  irrigating.  At  the  end  of  this  proba- 
tion period  the  plants  have  attained  the  age  of  about  eighteen 
months,  and  are  then  considered  old  and  vigorous  enough  to 
have  their  branches  trimmed  or  "pruned,"  as  it  is  called.  The 
object  of  pruning  is  to  cause  the  shrub  to  bush  out  and  to 
prevent  it  from  growing  too  high  to  enable  the  pickers  to 
pluck  its  topmost  shoots  or  twigs.  At  the  age  of  from  two 
to  three  years  the  bushes  are  old  enough  to  pluck,  and  in 
the  month  of  April,  following  the  time  that  this  age  has  been 
reached,  the  plucking  commences. 

The  method  of  plucking  the  leaves  in  India  and  Ceylon 
differs  very  materially  from  the  same  operation  in  China  and 
Japan.  During  the'  first  picking  in  the  latter  countries  but 
few  leaves  are  picked  from  each  plant  and  these  are  none 
but  the  youngest  and  tenderest  end  leaves,  but,  during  the 
subsequent  pickings,  as  many  of  the  leaves  as  the  shrub  can 
safely  give  up  are  taken.  In  India  and  Ceylon  the  three  top- 
most leaves,  at  most,  of  each  shoot  or  twig  are  plucked  at 
each  plucking;  the  remainder  of  the  leaves  being  allowed  to 
stay  upon  the  bushes,  as  they  are  considered  too  coarse  to  be 
made  into  commercial  tea.  In  China  and  Japan  three  annual 


88  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

pickings,  at  most,  are  obtained,  and  each  of  these  pickings 
returns  leaf  that  is  commercially  inferior  to  that  of  the  pre- 
ceding picking.  In  India  from  twelve  to  twenty  pluckings 
are  obtained  from  the  bushes  annually ;  estates  that  are  more 
favorably  situated,  as  far  as  climate  and  water  supply  are 
concerned,  obtaining  the  greater  number.  In  Ceylon  be- 
tween twenty  and  thirty  pluckings  are  annually  obtained  owing 
to  the  extremely  favorable  climatic  conditions  which  exist  in 
the  island.  The  Indian  system  of  plucking  is  the  result  of  a 
greater  scientific  knowledge ;  of  a  greater  care  in  encouraging 
productiveness,  and  these  not  only  preserve  the  health  and 
vigor  of  the  bushes,  but  make  the  labor  much  less  arduous 
and  reduce  it  to  a  minimum  cost. 

Much  care  is  exercised  in  India  in  the  plucking  opera- 
tion so  that  no  injury  shall  occur  to  the  plants.  Women  and 
children  only  are  employed  in  the  work,  and  these  go  care- 
fully around  the  bushes  and  along  the  rows,  snipping  the 
twig  or  "flush,"  as  it  is  called,  immediately  below  the  second 
or  third  leaf,  according  to  the  grade  of  manufactured  leaf 
required.  If  fine  and  medium  teas  only  are  wanted,  the 
twig,  with  the  end-bud  and  the  next  two  delicate  leaves  at- 
tached is  taken,  and  this  shoot  or  twig,  with  its  two  leaves 
and  end  leaf-bud  appending,  is  spoken  of  and  generally 
known  in  the  tea-districts  as  a  "two  and  a  bud." 

When  coarse  teas  are  required  at  the  factory,  orders  are 
given  to  pluck  the  shoot  below  the  third  leaf,  which  gives 
three  leaves  and  a  bud,  the  third  leaf  giving  the  required 
coarse  leaf  for  a  coarser  and  cheaper  tea.  The  native  over- 
seers, called  "Sirdars"  in  India,  and  "Kangani"  in  Ceylon,  are 
held  responsible,  at  headquarters,  for  the  proper  plucking  of 
each  flush,  and  are  required  to  see  that  no  leaf  coarser  than 
wanted  is  taken. 

As  the  pickers  proceed  they  deposit  the  shoots  in  the 
picking-basket,  and  the  leaves  remain  unseparated  from  the 


AN    INDIAN  "FLUSH,"  SHOWING    METHOD    OF    PLUCKING. 

A — Flowery  Orange-Pekoe  Leaf  Buds. 

B —Orange-Pekoe  Leaf. 

C  —  Pekoe  No.  i   Leaf. 

D — Souchong  Leaf  and  Broken  Teas. 

E  —Where  the  "Flush"  is  Plucked. 


TEA  FROM  SEED  TO  LEAF.  89 

stem  until  after  firing,  when  they  are  separated  by  machine 
and  make  the  several  gradings. 

The  picking-basket,  called  a  "tukri,"  is  a  large,  open- 
mouthed  affair,  two  feet  or  thereabouts  in  diameter  and  about 
two  and  a  half  feet  in  depth,  tapering  towards  the  bottom. 
The  basket  is  conveniently  slung  over  the  shoulder  of  the 
picker,  so  that  every  care 'may  be  taken  in  depositing  the 
twigs,  for  tight  pressing  or  jamming  the  leaves  into  the  bas- 
ket must  be  avoided.  Should  it  occur,  it  will  result  in  over- 
heating, especially  if  the  day  be  unusually  hot,  and  produce, 
after  wilting,  an  inferior  quality  of  leaf  called  "red-leaf." 

The  plucking  of  the  twigs  of  the  shrub  does  no  material 
damage,  and  Nature  immediately  steps  in  to  repair  the  tri- 
fling hurt,  and  a  week  later  another  sprig  is  ready  for  the 
plucking,  and  so  it  continues  throughout  the  long  period  of 
an  Indian  tea-picking  season. 

In  India  and  Ceylon  "first  flush"  teas,  as  the  pickings 
of  the  earlier  months  are  called,  are  usually  inferior  to  the 
flushes  of  later  months,  it  being  claimed  that  Nature,  in  the 
earlier  months,  has  not  had  time  to  mature  within  the  leaves 
those  constituents  which  are  necessary  to  give  to  the  leaf  its 
full  strength  and  flavor.  This  is  totally  opposed  to  the  con- 
ditions which  exist  in  both  China  and  Japan,  where  the  first 
pickings  of  the  season  produce  the  highest  grade  teas,  never- 
theless it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  Indian  and  Ceylon  teas 
of  the  later  pluckings  are  much  superior  in  cup  qualities  to 
those  of  the  earlier  pickings. 

It  is  claimed  by  the  planters  that  the  plucking  is  the 
only  operation,  under  their  system,  where  the  leaf  is  touched 
by  hand  and  much  stress  is  laid  upon  the  fact,  but,  be  this  as 
it  may,  it  cannot  be  truthfully  said  that  greater  cleanliness 
is  exercised  by  their  native  pickers  than  is  practiced  by  the 
pickers  of  China  and  Japan.  A  machine  especially  built  for 
the  purpose  of  plucking  the  leaves,  provided  that  it  could  be 


90  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

designed  to  do  the  work  thoroughly  and  well,  would  be  of 
untold  value  to  the  British  planters.  Such  a  machine  has 
already  been  invented  and  tried  in  India,  but,  according  to 
the  account  of  Mr.  Crole,  it  has  not  proved  to  be  practi- 
cable. 

"The  form  of  mechanical  plucker,"  he  says  in  his  "Text 
Book  of  Tea-Planting  and  Manufacture,"  Lockwood,  London, 
1897,  "that  I  have  seen  used  was  like  a  pair  of  shears,  the 
upper  surfaces  of  the  blades  of  which  had  a  rim  about  a 
couple  of  inches  in  height  running  around  them,  the  object  of 
which  was  to  prevent  the  leaves  cut  off  at  each  clip  from 
falling  off.  The  bushes  had  to  be  very  carefully  pruned  be- 
fore submitting  to  the  machine  so  as  to  give  flat  surface. 
Although  one  would  be  only  too  glad  to  welcome  any  success- 
ful invention  in  this  line,  yet  one  must,  I  fear,  reluctantly 
confess  that  it  does  not  seem  possible  for  any  feasible  device 
to  be  forthcoming." 

In  Ceylon  the  cultivation  of  the  shrub  and  the  plucking 
of  its  leaves  is  carried  on  in  much  the  same  manner  as  in 
India,  but,  owing  to  the  sub- tropical  climate  and  superior 
conditions  of  soil  of  that  favored  island,  which  gives  to  its 
planters  a  greater  advantage,  more  pluckings  are  obtained 
annually  than  in  India.  The  plucking  season  in  Ceylon 
never  ceases  except  during  the  "pruning''  months,  which  opera- 
tion prevents  the  "flushing5'  of  the  branches. 

In  the  trade  parlance  of  both  India  and  Ceylon  the  put- 
ting forth  of  new  shoots  by  the  shrubs  is  called  "flushing," 
and  the  young  shoot  or  twig  itself  is  known  as  a  "flush."  The 
quantity  of  twigs  taken  as  the  result  of  a  day's  plucking  is 
also  called  a  "flush,"  and  the  bulk  of  manufactured  tea  col- 
lected at  the  termination  of  each  season  of  plucking  is  called 
a  "break;"  the  term  "break"  meaning  the  same  as  the  word 
"chop"  with  the  Chinese,  that  is,  the  collective  product  of  a 
given  period  of  plucking.  The  plants  "flush"  weekly,  that 


TEA  FROM  SEED  TO  LEAF.  91 

is,  put  forth  new  shoots  about  one  week  after  the  plucking 
of  the  previous  "flush"  or  shoot. 

The  terms  "picking"  and  "plucking"  are,  practically 
speaking,  synonymous;  meaning,  of  course,  the  forcible  re- 
moval of  a  leaf  or  twig.  In  India  and  Ceylon,  where  shoots 
are  taken  from  the  bushes  instead  of  single  leaves,  the  word 
"plucking"  is  in  more  general  use,  whereas  in  speaking  of 
the  same  operation  by  the  Chinese  and  Japanese,  who  remove 
one  leaf  at  a  time,  the  word  "picking"  is  generally  used.  The 
difference  in  meaning  of  the  two  words,  if  a  difference  can 
be  found,  correctly  describes  the  difference  in  the  operations — 
one  plucks  a  twig  and  picks  a  leaf. 

After  plucking  the  various  processes  of  manufacture  im- 
mediately take  place  in  their  order,  and  a  description  of  these 
will  be  attempted  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 


CHAPTER    III. 
TEA  FROM  LEAF  TO  CUP. 

Given  the  discovery  of  virtue  in  a  green  leaf ;  virtue  as  a 
medicine,  as  a  beverage,  as  a  commercial  commodity  and  the 
preservation  of  that  leaf  becomes  a  necessity. 

Here,  in  a  nutshell,  we  have  the  problem  which  must 
have  confronted  the  people  of  China  at  the  time  when  they 
discovered  the  valuable  properties  of  the  leaf  of  the  tea-plant, 
and  there  can  be  little  or  no  doubt  but  that  this  interesting 
people,  after  realizing  that  some  process  was  necessary  to  pre- 
serve the  leaves  from  one  season  to  another,  originated  the 
method  which,  with  modifications  and  improvements,  is  fol- 
lowed by  all  of  the  tea-producing  countries  of  the  world 
today. 

The  honor  of  having  made  the  discovery  of  the  virtues  of 
the  tea-plant,  undoubtedly,  belongs  to  the  Chinese  people, 
and  to  China,  also,  belongs  the  honor  of  originating  and  intro- 
ducing the  preservative  method  which  has  made  a  commercial 
tea  possible. 

It  is,  of  course,  very  probable  that  the  original  methods 
which  the  Chinese  adopted  for  the  preservation  of  the  leaf 
were  crude,  and  that  the  practical  experience  of  many  years 
was  necessary  to  enable  them  to  reach  the  present  perfection 
of  the  art ;  but,  be  that  as  it  may,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt 
that  the  Chinese  have  followed  their  present  methods  for 
many  centuries,  for  so  very  old  is  the  industry  with  them,  if 
we  are  to  believe  their  ancient  and  modern  chroniclers,  that 
at  the  time  the  Israelites  were  curing  bricks,  with  and  with- 
out straw,  for  their  Egyptian  task-masters,  the  Chinese  were 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  93 

curing  tea-leaves  for  their  mandarins,  for  their  neighbors,  and 
for  themselves. 

Manufactured  tea,  therefore,  is  one  of  the  very  oldest 
of  the  world's  commercial  commodities,  and  it  is  quite  likely 
to  hold  its  place,  as  such,  until  the  end  of  time. 

The  methods  which  are  employed  by  the  manufacturers 
of  commercial  tea  in  the  various  tea-growing  countries,  fol- 
low, in  principle  at  least,  the  original  methods  as  demon- 
strated by  the  Chinese. 

In  Japan,  where  the  curing  and  preparing  for  export  is 
done  mainly  by  Americans  and  Europeans,  who  employ  native 
hand-labor  and  some  machinery,  improvements  of  practical 
value  have  been  instituted;  while  the  British  tea-manufac- 
turer of  India,  Ceylon  and  elsewhere,  in  his  effort  to  cheapen 
the  cost  of  production,  and  in  his  craze  for  an  article,  as  much 
as  possible,  untouched  by  hand,  has  invented  steam-power 
machinery  to  do  the  same  work  that  is  done  in  China  by  man- 
power. In  both  cases  a  similar  result  is  attained ;  in  the  one 
case  by  the  means  of  hard  hand-labor,  in  the  other  by  means 
of  steam-power  machinery  which  has  been  invented  in  order 
that  a  saving  in  labor  may  be  made. 

After  picking,  as  already  stated,  the  process  of  manufac- 
ture is  similar  in  all  of  the  tea-producing  countries.  First 
comes  the  wilting,  or  withering  of  the  leaves;  then  the  evapo- 
rating of  superficial  moisture  and  superfluous  sap;  then  the 
fermentation — or  oxidation,  as  it  really  is — then  the  rolling 
and  firing;  separating  and  grading;  all  of  which  require 
experience,  watchfulness,  and  great  care. 

To  the  process  of  manufacture  is  due  the  various  kinds 
and  colors  of  commercial  tea.  It  produces  the  Chinese  Gun- 
powder, the  Japanese  Sun-Cured,  the  Formosa  Ooloong,  and 
the  Indian  Pekoe.  The  tea-leaf  which  the  Chinese  manufac- 
turer made  into  a  round-rolled  green  Gunpowder,  might,  by  a 
difference  in  manipulation,  have  been,  just  as  easily,  made  by 


94  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

him  into  a  long-rolled  black  Congou  or  folded  Pouchong,  and 
the  European  manufacturer  in  Japan  who  decided  to  make 
the  leaves  submitted  to  him  into  a  Sun-Cured,  could  have,  ;i< 
readily,  used  them  to  produce  a  Basket-Fired,  or  a  Pan-Fired 
tea. 

Local  custom,  and  the  life-long  experience  of  the  work- 
men in  China,  and  the  characteristics  or  the  suitability  of  the 
leaf  in  Japan  regulate  the  production  of  the  kinds;  while  in 
India  and  Ceylon,  with  trifling  exceptions  so  far,  all  1. 
are  converted  into  black  teas. 

LEAF  PREPAKATION. 

CHINA — Owing  to  the  vast  extent  of  Chinese  territory, 
and  to  the  exceedingly  crude  and  slow  methods  of  transporta- 
tion which  exist  therein,  it  becomes  necessary  that  an  initia- 
tory preparation  of  the  leaves  be  made  by  the  farmer-grower. 
This  preparation  is,  however,  just  sufficient  to  preserve  the 
leaves  against  deterioration,  injury,  or  ruin  during  the  jour- 
ney to  the  "hongs,"  or  firing  establishments  of  the  larger  cities 
of  the  tea-districts,  where  they  are  prepared  for  market. 

Man-power  is  used,  as  a  rule,  in  this  transportation; 
each  coolie,  so  employed,  carrying  one  basket  of  the  higher 
grade  leaf,  or  two  baskets  of  the  lower  grades,  and  he  pro- 
ceeds steadily  towards  his  destination  at  a  shuffling  jog-trot, 
balancing  the  baskets  on  both  ends  of  a  long  bamboo  pole,  the 
center  of  which  rests  upon  his  shoulder,  in  like  manner  as 
we  see  his  kind  peddling  vegetables  and  other  wares  in  this 
country. 

In  this  initiatory  preparation  the  leaves,  as  they  arc 
brought  in  by  the  pickers,  are  spread  out  on  flat  bamboo  trays, 
or  on  lengths  of  Chinese  matting,  and  placed  in  such  a  posi- 
tion in  the  sunshine  that  they  quickly  wilt  or  wither,  and  all 
superficial  moisture  is  evaporated. 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  95 

Alter  the  wilting  process  has  been  completed,  the  leaves 
are  gathered  up,  placed  in  a  receptacle  suitable  for  the  purpose 
and  any  remaining  moisture,  together  with  a  considerable 
percentage  of  the  sap,  is  expressed  under  pressure. 

A  digression,  at  this  particular  point,  becomes  necessary 
in  order  to  discuss  and,  if  possible,  correct  an  accusation  of 
uncleanliness  in  the  Chinese  method  of  pressing  out  the  sap; 
which  accusation  is  sometimes  used  in  the  advertisements  of 
interested  persons. 

With  regard  to  the  method  of  this  pressure,  writers  on 
the  subject  apparently  differ.  Dr.  John  H.  Gray,  Archdeacon 
of  Hong  Kong,  in  his  work  entitled  "China,"  published  in 
1878,  states  that  the  leaves  are  "then  trodden  by  labourers  to 
press  out  all  moisture  remaining."  Mr.  Harold  E.  Gorst  in 
his  "China,"  1899,  says :  "After  the  leaves  have  been  assorted 
and  the  moisture  pressed  out  of  them  by  treading  with  the 
naked  feet"  *  *  *  * 

Mr.  Joseph  M.  Walsh,  in  his  "Tea,  Its  History  and  Mys- 
tery," 1892,  and  which,  by  the  way,  is  the  most  authentic  and 
exhaustive  work  ever  published  upon  the  subject,  says :  "The 
partially  withered  leaves  are  packed  in  cotton  bags,  loosely 
tied  at  the  mouth  and  placed  in  open  wooden  troughs  or  boxes 
perforated  at  the  sides  with  numerous  holes,  in  which  they 
are  pressed  and  kneaded  by  the  feet  to  expel  all  superfluous 
moisture" 

In  point  of  fact,  there  is  nothing  in  the  description  of  Dr. 
Gray,  or  in  that  of  Mr.  Gorst,  to  warrant  the  assumption  that 
the  bare  feet  of  the  laborers  come  in  contact  with  the  tea- 
leaves,  although  a  cursory  reading  of  either  description  might 
convey  such  a  meaning.  Dr.  Gray  says  that  the  leaves  are 
"trodden  by  laborers."  He  might  have  gone  further  in  his 
description  and  added  that  the  leaves  were  first  placed  in 
cotton  bags.  Mr.  Gorst,  although  stating  that  the  naked  feet 
are  used  in  the  operation,  does  not  state  that  the  feet  come  in 


96  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

contact  with  the  leaves,  but  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  the 
natives  would  use  shoes  on  their  feet  when  kneading  cotton 
bags  filled  with  leaves. 

Again,  the  idea  of  using  gloved  hands,  prohibiting  the 
use  of  strong  food,  enforcing  frequent  bathing  during  the 
operation  of  picking  the  leaves,  as  has  been  described  in  a 
previous  chapter,  goes  far  to  prove  that  the  Chinese  farmer 
is  too  great  a  master  of  his  trade  to  make  such  a  mistake,  or 
to  take  such  chances  of  injury  to  his  product,  as  pressing  the 
leaves  with  naked  feet  would  mean. 

The  description  of  the  process  by  Mr.  Walsh  is,  undoubt- 
edly, accurate,  and  it  has  never  been  refuted  by  authorities; 
neither  can  it  be  said  that  it  differs  from  the  descriptions  of 
the  aforesaid  writers  cm  the  subject,  except  that  it  goes  further 
into  details,  and,  consequently,  aids  the  cause  of  justice  by 
repairing  the  damage  inadvertently  and,  without  doubt,  inno- 
cently done  to  a  cleanly  and  careful  people  by  the  meagre 
writings  of  others. 

Unfortunately,  in  the  printed  advertisements  of  some  tea- 
dealers,  advantage  has  been  taken  of  these  meagre  descrip- 
tions, and  statements  have  been  spread  broadcast  over  this 
and  other  countries,  in  which  charges  have  been  made  of  un- 
cleanliness  in  Chinese  methods  of  manufacture. 

Such  advertisements  go  to  show  how  eagerly  interested 
persons  will  grasp  at  the  incomplete  descriptions  of  authors 
and  craftily  turn  the  natural  inference  of  them  to  an  unholy 
advantage,  for  it  cannot  be  otherwise  than  expected  that  the 
distributors  of  such  unjust  and  unwarrantable  statements 
knowingly  base  them  upon  the  inadequate  accounts  of  emi- 
nent men  which  afford  apparent  proof  and  protection. 

Pardon  is  requested  for  this  lengthy  digression  which 
has  been  made  solely  in  the  interest  of  justice  and  fair  play, 
and  in  the  endeavor  to  protect  a  people  apparently  unwilling 
to  protect  itself. 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  97 

To  continue:  After  a  sufficiency  of  the  sap  has  been 
expressed  from  the  leaves,  they  are  again  exposed  to  the  sun- 
heat  to  dry,  and  when  this  is  accomplished  they  are  sub- 
jected to  a  partial  "firing"  by  being  held  in  iron  pans  over  a 
charcoal  fire  until  the  leaves  have  reached  that  condition 
which  will  permit  of  transportation  to  the  hong. 

The  work  of  the  farmer-grower  is  now  complete,  and  the 
tea  is  stored  to  await  the  arrival  of  an  agent  from  one  of  the 
hongs.  These  agents,  locally  known  as  "tea-men,"  travel 
throughout  the  district  in  the  interest  of  their  employers, 
visiting  all  the  small  towns,  villages,  farms,  and  temples  for 
the  purpose  of  purchasing  the  partially  prepared  tea-leaves 
from  the  monks,  priests,  and  farmers. 

The  reason  for  the  above  described  mode  of  semi-prepa- 
ration is,  as  already  stated,  to  prevent  deterioration,  or  pos- 
sible injury,  during  transportation  to  the  hongs,  and  also  to 
deliver  the  teas  thereat  in  such  a  condition  that  no  difficulty 
will  be  experienced  by  the  hong  owners  or  manufacturers  in 
making  up  the  teas  as  they  desire  for  the  greater  home  and 
shipping  markets.  The  wilting  of  the  leaves,  the  pressing 
out  of  the  superfluous  moisture  and  sap,  and  the  subsequent 
partial  firing,  prevents  a  natural  chemical  re-action — oxida- 
tion— from  taking  place,  and  the  semi-prepared  leaves  conse- 
quently reach  the  firing  establishment  in  a  condition  which 
permits  of  further  manipulation. 

Arrived  at  the  hong,  which  is  one  of  many  large  estab- 
lishments capable  of  preparing  many  hundreds  or  thousands 
of  chests  of  tea,  the  collective  product  of  the  district  is  mixed, 
due  care  being  exercised  in  separating  the  various  qualities  of 
leaf,  after  which  the  teas  are  prepared  for  market  and  in  the 
following  manner: 

GREEN  TEA. — Upon  arrival  from  the  gardens  the  leaves, 
destined  to  be  made  into  green  tea,  are  first  picked  over  and 


98  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

all  stalks  and  decayed  leaves  thrown  out.  The  leaves  are  then 
spread  out  sparsely,  upon  flat  trays  made  of  bamboo  in  order 
to  evaporate  any  moisture  which  may  have  gathered,  for  it 
must  be  remembered  that,  during  the  curing  season,  there  is 
considerable  humidity  in  the  atmosphere.  The  leaves  are 
allowed  to  remain  exposed  in  this  manner  for  from  one  to  two 
hours,  according  to  the  state  of  the  weather,  after  which  they 
are  ready  to  be  "fired." 

This  process,  like  all  others  connected  with  the  manu- 
facture of  tea,  requires  experience  and  care,  for  to  fire  or  roast 
the  leaves  imperfectly  will  materially  hurt  them  and  render 
the  batch  subject  to  a  very  low  price  or  possible  rejection  by 
the  buyers  in  the  tea-exporting  marts. 

In  China  the  leaves  are  fired  after  a  somewhat  primitive 
fashion.  A  number  of  small  fire  places  are  built  upon  the 
ground;  brick  and  mortar  being  used  in  their  construction, 
and  are  so  arranged  in  circular  form  that  shallow  iron  roast- 
ing pans  will  fit  snugly  on  top.  Each  fire  place  is  attended 
by  an  operator  whose  mouth  and  nostrils  are  corered  with  a 
cloth  to  prevent  breathing  the  rising  vapor.  A  charcoal  fire 
is  lighted  beneath  and,  when  the  roasting  pans  are  hot  enough, 
a  specified  quantity  of  the  leaves  is  thrown  into  them,  and  i? 
then,  as  Mr.  Fortune  says,  "rapidly  moved  about  and  shaken 
up  with  both  hands.  They  are  immediately  affected  by  the 
heat,  begin  to  make  a  crackling  noise,  and  become  quite 
moist  and  flaccid,  while,  at  the  same  time,  they  give  out  a 
considerable  portion  of  vapor."  They  remain  in  the  pans 
for  four  or  five  minutes,  rapidly  shaken  the  while  by  the  oper- 
ator, whose  experienced  eye  can  detect  the  exact  moment  for 
removal,  and,  when  that  moment  comes,  he  quickly  gathers 
them  up  and  places  them  on  the  rolling  table  close  at  hand. 

From  the  time  that  the  leaves  are  deposited  in  the  pans 
until  the  subsequent  rolling  process  is  completed,  no  time  is 
lost  by  the  operators,  who,  being  trained  and  expert  at  the 


NATIVE    TEA    FIRING    IN    CHINA. 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  99 

work,  do  not  waste  a  single  arm  movement.  The  rolling  table 
is  made  of  rattan  and  fashioned  so  as  to  assist  the  rolling 
process  as  much  as  possible.  At  the  moment  that  the  batch 
of  heated  leaves  is  deposited  upon  the  table — and  it  must  be 
remembered  that  the  leaves  are  in  a  moist  and  flabby  con- 
dition, the  essential  oil  and  water,  both  component  parts  of 
the  leaf,  being  brought  out'  by  the  few  minutes'  heating — it  is 
seized  by  the  first  of  a  number  of  consecutive  rolling  operators 
who  quickly  separates  a  double  handful  from  the  wet  and 
sticky  mass  and  passes  the  remainder  on  to  his  fellow  work- 
men who,  in  turn,  do  likewise.  Then,  by  a  peculiar,  sinuous 
motion  of  the  hands,  very  much  like  the  motion  used  in  knead- 
ing bread-dough,  the  operators  roll  their  bunches  of  leaves 
upon  the  table  and  each  bunch  quickly  assumes  a  spherical 
shape,  the  object  being,  at  once,  to  express  a  portion  of  the  sap 
and  moisture,  and  to  give  the  required  "roll"  or  twist  to  the 
leaves.  The  sphere-like  bunches  of  leaves  are  repeatedly 
shaken  out  upon  the  table,  gathered  together,  and  rolled  again, 
and  are  passed  from  operator  to  operator  at  the  table,  receiv- 
ing a  similar  treatment  at  the  hands  of  each  in  transit.  At 
last  the  batches  reach  the  head  of  the  table,  where  the  fore- 
man examines  each  lot  carefully  and  notes  if  the  leaves  have 
been  properly  curled. 

During  the  rolling  process  new  lots  of  leaves  reach  the 
rolling  table  fresh  from  the  firing-pans,  so  that  the  work  goes 
on  until  the  entire  batch  is  completed.  As  the  foreman  or 
headman  passes  judgment  upon  the  batches  which  reach  him, 
they  are  removed  from  the  table  and  shaken  out  thoroughly 
upon  flat  trays,  where  they  remain  until  the  balance  of  the 
work  is  completed,  unless  too  long  a  period  of  time  elapses, 
in  which  case  the  leaves  are  taken  to  the  pans  for  another 
roasting,  after  having  been  fanned  to  induce  quick  cooling. 

The  object  of  the  first  firing  is  to  reduce  the  leaves  to 
such  a  condition  that  they  can  be  readily  rolled,  curled  or 


100  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

twisted  into  the  requisite  shape  which  designates  the  kind. 
The  rolling  process  forces  the  leaves  to  assume  those  particular 
forms  which  we  are  accustomed  to  see ;  for  example,  the  round 
rolled  Gunpowder  and  the  long  rolled  Young  Hyson. 

After  being  allowed  to  cool  upon  the  trays,  the  leaves, 
which  have  now  assumed  their  round  and  long  rolled  shape, 
are,  for  the  second  time,  thrown  into  the  roasting  pans,  and, 
over  a  slow  and  steady  fire,  are  stirred  rapidly  in  the  pans  by 
the  hands  of  the  operators  for  an  hour  or  more.  The  object 
of  this  second  roasting  is,  at  once,  to  quickly  dry  out  the 
rolled  leaves — or  tea,  as  it  might  now  be  called — and  to  fix  the 
color,  for,  after  this  second  roasting,  all  danger  of  fermenta- 
tion has  passed,  which  would  cause  the  leaves  to  turn  black. 

The  leaves  have  now  assumed  their  style  of  make;  the 
second  roasting  has  dried  them  to  a  dullish  green  color,  but, 
as  they  stand,  the  various  grades  of  Gunpowders,  Imperials, 
Hysons,  Young  Hysons  and  Twankay  are  all  mixed  together, 
and  in  order  to  separate  the  kinds,  and  free  the  dust  from  the 
tea,  winnowing  and  sieving  is  necessary. 

After  winnowing  and  sieving,  which  is  done  by  the  use 
of  sieves  of  various  sized  meshes,  the  tea  is  fired  for  the  third 
time,  the  better  kinds,  Imperials,  Young  Hysons,  and  Gunpow- 
ders, often  going  to  the  pans  for  the  fourth,  fifth  and  sixth 
time,  and  the  coarser  kinds,  Hysons  and  Twankay,  once  more. 
The  object  of  the  third  and  further  firing  is  to  make  sure 
that  the  color  is  permanently  fixed  at  its  now  dull  bluish- 
green,  and  to  aid  the  tea  the  better  to  stand  a  long  ocean  voy- 
age to  foreign  countries. 

Before  sieving,  the  entire  batch  of  mixed  kinds  is  known 
as  a  "chop,"  which  signifies  a  contract  lot.  After  the  kinds 
and  grades  have  been  sorted  by  sieving,  shipped  to  and  chested 
at  the  shipping  port,  the  whole  is  known  as  a  "Standard  In- 
voice of  Green  Tea,"  and  is  composed  of  the  various  gradings 
of  Gunpowders,  Imperials,  Young  Hysons,  Hysons  and  Twan- 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  101 

kay.  This  Standard  Invoice  is  purchased  as  a  whole,  and  at  a 
given  price  for  the  whole,  the  various  gradings  of  the  several 
kinds  being  averaged  by  the  purchaser  for  a  selling  cost.  Tea 
prepared  in  this  way  is  known  to  the  Chinese  as  " Luk-Cha" 
that  is,  "green  tea." 

Another  process  of  rolling  the  leaves  in  the  preparation 
of  Gunpowder  teas  is  followed  by  the  native  manufacturers 
of  Canton,  and  is  undoubtedly  of  Cantonese  origin.  It  is  as 
follows :  The  leaves,  after  the  first  roasting,  are  packed 
tightly  into  cotton  bags  until  the  bags  assume  a  spherical 
shape  about  the  size  of  a  foot-ball.  These  bags  of  leaves  are 
rolled  and  tossed  about  by  coolies  who  use  their  feet  in  the 
process,  resting  their  arms,  the  while,  on  cross  beams  in  the 
room.  A  prolonged  tossing  and  rolling  of  the  bag  causes  the 
leaves  within  to  assume  the  pellet  shape  of  Gunpowder  tea, 
and,  as  they  become  more  compact,  the  bag  loosens  and  has 
to  be  re-tied.  Again  the  tossing  and  rolling  is  repeated  until, 
eventually,  the  leaves  within  have  become  perfectly  globose. 
The  tea  is  then  separated  by  means  of  sieves  into  the  different 
sizes  of  Gunpowder  and,  after  this,  it  is  again  subjected  to  the 
firing  process  which  is  final. 

It  will  be  noted  from  the  first  description  of  the  curing 
process,  that  the  various  green  teas  of  commerce,  viz. :  Gun- 
powder, Imperial,  Young  Hyson,  etc.,  are  produced  from  the 
same  batch  of  leaves,  at  the  same  time  of  manufacture,  and 
by  the  same  process.  The  difference  in  the  size  and  shape  of 
the  manufactured  leaf  is  caused  by  the  difference  in  size  of  the 
raw  leaves,  and  by  the  curl  or  roll  which  individual  leaves  can 
be  made  to,  or  do,  assume  during  the  operation ;  some  of  them 
coming  from  the  rolling  table  in  the  tightly  rolled  pellet  form 
of  Gunpowder ;  others  in  the  larger  roll  of  Imperial,  and  oth- 
ers in  the  twisted  form  of  Young  Hyson,  etc.,  the  various  sizes 
of  the  leaves  producing  the  larger  or  the  smalled  kinds  of  tea. 

In  the  matter  of  quality,  district,  climatic  and  daily 


102  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

weather  conditions,  age  of  leaf,  as  well  as  care  in  manufacture 
play  an  important  part.  A  chop  of  green  teas  manufactured 
in  one  district,  although  to  the  eye,  throughout  the  various 
gradings  of  the  chop,  it  may  be  identical  with  a  chop  from 
another  district,  or  even  from  the  same  district,  when  sub- 
mitted to  a  cup  test  may  be  superior  or  inferior.  A  chop  of 
green  teas,  once  manufactured,  is  what  it  is,  and,  in  the  pur- 
chasing marts,  cup  qualities,  style,  color,  etc.,  determine  its 
value.  The  next  chop  turned  out  by  the  same  "hong,"  even 
from  leaves  of  identical  age,  may  be  superior  or  inferior  to 
the  preceding  chop.  A  little  too  much  or  too  little  fire,  a  little 
longer  or  shorter  time  on  the  rolling  table,  a  little  carelessness 
or  extra  care,  or  different  weather  at  the  time  of  manufacture, 
although  doing  little  to  alter  the  general  appearance  of  the 
manufactured  leaf,  can  do  much  in  the  matter  of  producing 
superior  or  inferior  cup  qualities.  Great  care,  however,  is 
exercised  by  the  manufacturers  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  pro- 
duction of  as  good  an  article  as  possible,  for  their  "chop- 
mark"  on  the  chests  of  tea  is  their  trade-mark,  and  they,  as 
a  matter  of  course,  do  all  in  their  power  to  protect  it  and  hold 
their  good  name.  The  dealers  at  the  great  shipping  marts, 
whose  trade  is  with  home  merchants  or  foreign  exporters,  are 
very  particular  in  the  selection  of  country  "chops,"  so  that  in 
order  to  please,  and  to  obtain  as  good  a  price  as  possible  for 
their  product  the  "hong"  owners  find  it  to  their  interest  to 
make  their  teas  as  perfectly  as  the  season's  leaf  will  permit. 
High-sounding  and  felicitous  names  are  chosen  by  the  city 
dealers  for  their  chosen  parcels,  and,  frequently,  a  particular 
parcel  acquires  a  reputation  upon  the  market  that  will  cause 
it  to  be  eagerly  sought  after  for  each  successive  season,  so  that 
failure  upon  the  part  of  the  hong  owner  to  keep  up  the  same 
standard  of  excellence  from  year  to  year  would  be  the  means 
of  loss  to  him.  Inferior  and  spurious  teas  are  usually  made 
to  order,  or  to  suit  a  certain  anticipated  market,  and  it  is  the 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  103 

continued  production  of  such  teas  that  has  been  the  means  of 
causing  China  the  loss  of  so  much  export  trade. 

The  Chinese,  as  a  people,  are  imaginative,  and  are  par- 
ticularly fond  of  opportune  names,  which,  as  a  rule,  are  de- 
scriptive of  the  object  named. 

The  names  given  by  them  to  the  different  kinds  of  tea 
are  derived,  in  most  part,  from  the  general  appearance  of  the 
leaf  before  or  after  manufacture,  from  the  name  of  the  place 
or  district  of  growth,  or  from  a  name  or  phrase  descriptive  of 
the  season  of  picking. 

GREEN  TEA  CLASSIFICATION. 

China  green  teas  are  known  to  our  commerce  as  Gunpow- 
der, Imperial,  Young  Hyson,  Hyson,  Hyson-Skin,  and  Twan- 
Jcay. 

GUNPOWDER  TEA  is  known  to  the  Chinese  as  Ma-chu,  that 
is,  "hemp  pearl,"  or  as  Chu-cha,  "pearl  tea,"  and  it  is  so  called 
because  of  its  supposed  resemblance  to  the  objects  named, 
that  is,  pearls.  Presumably  it  is  called  "Gunpowder"  by  the 
commercial  world  because  of  a  fancied  similarity  in  appear- 
ance, more  especially  in  the  higher,  "shottier"  grades,  to  the 
product  it  is  named  after. 

IMPERIAL  TEA  is  known  to  the  Chinese  as  Ta-chu,  that 
is,  "great  pearl,"  and  as  Chu-lan,  "pearl-flower;"  happy 
names  which  more  correctly  describe  it  than  the  name  by 
which  we  know  it.  The  Imperial  family  and  nobles  of  China 
are  said  to  be  quite  partial  to  this  kind,  and,  for  this  reason, 
it  is  called  "Imperial"  by  outside  nations. 

YOUNG  HYSON  TEA  is  known  to  the  Chinese  as  Yu-tsien, 
which  means  "before  the  rains,"  and  it  is  so  called  because, 


104  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

originally,  the  leaf,  from  which  the  sort  is  made,  was  picked 
in  the  early  Spring  only,  before  the  rains  set  in.  Now  Young 
Hyson  teas  are  made  before  and  after  the  rains.  Another 
pretty  term  in  use  as  a  name  for  the  sort  is  Mei-pien,  "plum 
petals."  Our  term  "Young  Hyson"  is,  evidently,  a  corrup- 
tion of  the  Chinese  name. 

HYSON  TEA  is  known  to  the  Chinese  as  Hi-chun,  mean- 
ing "flourishing  spring,"  and  is,  presumably,  so  called  be- 
cause of  the  fact  that  leaves  plucked  in  the  flourishing  Spring, 
that  is,  when  the  Spring  season  is  at  its  height,  are,  naturally, 
larger,  and  make  up  into  a  larger  roll,  in  contra-distinction  to 
the  smaller  roll  into  which  Young  Hyson  is  made  "before  the 
rains"  in  the  early  Spring.  Our  name  for  this  kind  is  also  a 
corruption  of  the  Chinese  name. 

HYSON  SKIN  TEA  is  known  to  the  Chinese  as  Pi-cha, 
that  is,  "skin-tea,"  and  is,  presumably,  so  called  because  it  is 
the  poorest  kind  of  green  tea;  all  that  is  left,  in  fact,  from 
the  other  varieties  after  sifting;  skin- tea  in  name  as  well  as  in 
fact.  Our  name  for  this  kind  is  a  translation  of  the  Chinese 
name,  Pi-cha,  "skin  tea,"  to  which  we  have  prefixed  the  word 
"Hyson-"  Hyson-skin. 

TWANKAY  TEA  is  known  to  the  Chinese  as  Twan-kay, 
meaning  "beacon-brook,"  the  name  of  a  stream  in  the  province 
of  Che-Kiang,  where,  it  is  said,  the  sort  was  originally  pro- 
duced, hence  the  name  for  the  kind.  The  terms  "Hyson- 
skin"  and  "Twankay"  are,  however,  used  synonymously  in  the 
United  States,  and  are  applied,  at  will,  to  designate  the  very 
poorest  sorts  of  China  green  teas  of  large,  flat  leaf. 

The  terms  "Gunpowder,"  "Imperial,"  "Young  Hyson," 
"Hyson,"  "Hyson-skin,"  and  "Twankay"  are  used  only  to 
describe  the  style  of  make  of  the  leaf  after  it  has  been  manu- 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  105 

factured,  and  these  names  for  the  several  makes  are  qualified, 
in  the  tea-trade,  by  the  names  of  the  tea-districts  where  the 
leaf  is  grown. 

In  the  tea-producing  provinces  of  China  there  are  numer- 
ous tea-districts,  each  one  of  which  is  more  or  less  famous  as 
a  producer  of  high,  medium,  or  poor  class  teas,  and  these  dis- 
tricts give  their  names  to  all  of  the  Gunpowders,  Imperials, 
Young  Hysons,  and  others  that  are  grown  and  manufactured 
within  their  borders.  For  example:  The  well-known  dis- 
trict Moyune — Chinese  Mo-yuen — gives  its  name  to  all  Gun- 
powders, Imperials,  Young  Hysons,  Hysons,  Hyson-skins,  and 
Twankays  grown  in  the  Moyune  district;  hence  we  have 
Moyune  Gunpowders,  Moyune  Imperials,  Moyune  Young  Hy- 
sons, etc. 

In  addition  to  those  of  the  Moyune  district  we  have  other 
district,  and  otherwise  named  green  teas,  more  or  less  known 
to  commerce.  The  best  known  kinds  in  the  United  States 
are  those  called  Sung-los,  Hoo-chows,  Hy-chows,  Fy-chows, 
Tien-kees,  and  others,  to  which  may  be  added  those  known  as 
Ping-sueys,  Cantons  and  Country  Greens,  the  three  latter  sorts 
being  named  for  their  peculiarities  and  not  from  districts. 
Thus  we  have  Hoo-chbw  Gunpowders,  Hoo-chow  Imperials, 
etc.,  Hy-chow  Gunpowders,  Hy-chow  Imperials,  etc.,  Ping- 
suey  Gunpowders,  Imperials,  etc.,  Canton  and  Country  Green 
Gunpowders,  etc. 

To  the  tea-man  these  district  terms,  preceding  the  name 
of  tea-makes,  mean  much.  By  them  he  is  enabled  to  judge, 
approximately,  as  to  quality,  for  he  is  well  aware  that  the 
several  districts  produce  teas  that  are  far  apart  in  point  of 
intrinsic  leaf-quality,  and,  therefore,  in  commercial  value. 
Moyune  teas,  throughout  their  gradings,  are,  commercially 
speaking,  superior  to  equal  gradings  of  Hoo-chows;  Hoo- 
chows  to  Hy-chows ;  and  so  on,  down  the  line. 

Green  teas,  in  addition  to  being  subject  to  district  su- 


106  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

periority  or  inferiority,  are  divided  into  grades  within  them- 
selves. In  the  case  of  all  Gunpowders  and  Imperials  these 
gradings  are  known  as  "firsts"  or  "No.  Is;"  "seconds"  or 
"No.  2s;"  "thirds"  or  "No.  3s."  A  first  Gunpowder  is  an 
exceedingly  fine  rolled  and  regular  leaf,  frequently  known  as 
a  "pin-head;"  a  second  is  not  so  closely  rolled;  and  a  third 
is  usually  quite  loosely  rolled.  These  gradings  apply  to  Gun- 
powders of  the  several  districts,  so  that  we  have  first,  second, 
and  third  Moyune  Gunpowders;  first,  second,  and  third  Hoo- 
chows,  Ping-sueys,  etc.  In  the  case  of  an  exceedingly  hand- 
some pin-head,  of  any  district  make,  the  grading  "extra  first," 
"extra  sifted  first,"  or  "extra  No.  1"  is  sometimes  given,  so 
that  we  frequently  hear  of  an  "extra  first  Moyune  Gunpow- 
der ;"  an  "extra  sifted  first  Ping-suey  Gunpowder,"  etc.  Moy- 
une, Ping-suey,  and  other  Imperial  teas  are  similarly  graded — 
a  first,  or  No.  1,  Imperial  is  a  closely  rolled,  regularly  formed 
leaf  of  the  kind ;  a  second,  or  No.  2,  is  more  loosely  rolled,  and 
a  third,  or  No.  3,  is  quite  large  and  loosely  rolled. 

In  the  comparison  of  one  district  Gunpowder  or 
Imperial  with  another  in  the  several  gradings  a  No.  1 
Moyune  Gunpowder  will  outrank  a  No.  1  Hoo-chow  Gun- 
powder; a  No.  2  Hoo-chow  will,  ordinarily,  be  superior  to  a 
No.  2  Hy-chow,  and  so  forth.  Young  Hyson  district  teas 
take  gradings  of  firsts,  seconds,  thirds,  and  fourths,  or  No. 
Is,  No.  2s,  No.  3s,  and  No.  4s,  and  are  either  of  the  large, 
long,  curly  roll  known  as  "Fong-mee,"  or  of  the  small,  curly 
roll  known  as  Sow-mee.  Fourth  Moyune  Young  Hysons, 
sometimes  called  Cargo  Young  Hysons,  are  frequently  foisted 
upon  unsuspecting  retailers  as  cheap  Sun-Dried  Japans,  and 
are  sometimes  blended  with  other  teas  in  order  to  cheapen 
them.  Hyson  and  Twankay  teas  are  graded  as  firsts  and 
seconds — No.  Is  and  No.  2s.  In  reality,  Twankays  need 
no  grading. 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  107 

The  quality  of  these  gradings  as  far  as  drink,  leaf,  body, 
strength,  and  aroma  are  concerned,  is  qualified  by  the  pick- 
ing. A  first  picking  tea  will  outrank  one  of  the  second  pick- 
ing; and  a  second  picking  tea  is  usually  superior  to  one  of 
the  third  picking.  The  regular  commercial  cup  test  must 
be  employed  to  determine  the  quality  or  value  of  any  tea. 

Ping-suey,  Canton,  and  Country  Green  Gunpowders, 
Young  Hysons,  and  Imperials  are  well  known  in  this  country, 
and  are  preferred  by  many  merchants  on  account  of  their 
lower  cost  and  better  style.  The  use  of  such  green  teas  has 
done  much  to  hurt  the  sale  of  those  of  higher  drinking 
quality,  and  it  is  unfortunate  that  such  a  state  of  affairs 
should  exist. 

Ping-suey  teas  are  called  Mien-pan-cha,  that  is,  "bastard 
tea,"  by  the  Chinese;  and  Canton  teas  are  known  to  them 
as  Tschaw-cha,  that  is  "lie-tea."  It  is  really  a  question  if 
the .  former  are  made  from  the  leaves  of  the  true  tea-plant, 
the  fact  that  the  Chinese  themselves  call  the  kind  "bastard" 
teas  going  far  to  prove  that  they  are  made  from  the  leaves 
of  some  other  plant.  In  any  event  it  would  be  better  for 
merchants  generally  were  they  to  handle  the  true  green  teas  of 
China  to  the  exclusion  of  Ping-sueys,  for  they  would  con- 
sult their  ultimate  best  interests  were  they  to  do  so. 

Chinese  green  teas  owe  their  color  to  the  process  of  man- 
ufacture, which  fixes  it  at  a  color  very  close  to  that  of  the 
original  green  of  the  leaf.  Pans  of  iron  are  used  in  firing,  as 
has  been  stated,  and  not  of  copper,  as  is  sometimes  supposed, 
so  that  the  popular  belief  that  all  China  green  teas  are  arti- 
ficially colored  is  by  no  means  so  in  fact.  Prior  to  the 
"United  States  Tea  Act"  of  March  2nd,  1897,  which  prohib- 
ited the  importation  of  impure  teas,  many  "faced"  teas,  that 
is,  artificially  colored  teas,  particularly  Ping-sueys  and  Can- 
tons, entered  the  country,  but  the  rigid  enforcement  of  the 


108  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

law,  which  the  Government  so  wisely  maintains,  has  ren- 
dered the  importation  of  such  teas  impossible.  Sophisticated 
Canton  green  teas  are  no  longer  allowed  to  enter  the  country. 
Before  the  Tea  Act  went  into  effect  this  villainous  stuff  was 
frequently  met  with.  It  was  well  named  by  the  Chinese  "lie- 
tea,"  for  it  was  manufactured  from  spurious  or  from  exhausted 
leaf,  that  is,  leaf  that  had  already  been  used,  which  had  to  be 
"doctored"  with  some  kind  of  clay  and  then  colored  so  that  it 
would  look  like  genuine  tea. 

The  United  States  Tea  Act  has  been  a  great  boon  to 
the  tea  drinkers  of  the  country.  Under  its  laws  standards 
of  quality  have  been  established  by  the  Government,  below 
which  no  teas  can  enter.  At  the  several  ports  of  entry  ex- 
pert tea-men  in  the  employ  of  the  Government  are  stationed, 
and  samples  of  all  tea  importations  are  critically  examined 
by  them.  The  so-called  "Government  Standard  teas"  arc, 
therefore,  the  lowest  grades  of  every  kind  that  are  allowed  to 
enter. 

Tea-dealers  nowadays  may  be  sure  that,  whatever  kinds 
and  grades  they  are  handling,  they  are  dispensing  an  article 
that  is  pure  and  perfectly  fit  for  human  consumption. 

BLACK  TEA. — The  process  of  manufacture  which  pro- 
duces the  black  teas  of  China  is  very  marked  in  its  difference 
with  the  process  which  produces  the  green  teas  of  that  coun- 
try; the  principal  dissimilarity  being  in  the  fact  that,  during 
the  curing  process,  all  leaf  intended  to  be  made  into  black 
tea  is  allowed  to  oxidise,  which  gives  to  the  product  a  black, 
brownish-black,  or  reddish-black  color;  while  oxidation — or 
fermentation  as  it  is  usually  called — is  not  permitted  to  take 
place  with  leaf  intended  to  be  made  into  green  tea.  Cut  an 
apple  in  two  pieces  and  a  chemical  reaction  immediately  sets 
in,  resulting  in  a  few  hours,  if  exposed  to  the  oxygen  of  the 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  109 

atmosphere,  in  a  discoloration  of  the  cut  surfaces;  first  to  a 
reddish-brown,  and,  in  twenty-four  hours,  to  a  brownish- 
black.  This  is  oxidation  or  fermentation,  and  it  is  this  prin- 
ciple that  is  applied  to  the  leaf  in  producing  black  teas.  Fer- 
mentation is,  of  course,  stopped  before  actual  decay  begins, 
and  its  application  results  in  the  production  of  a  tea  that 
is  richer  and  mellower  than,  and  of  a  different  flavor  to,  the 
green  sorts. 

The  leaves  intended  to  be  made  into  black  tea  undergo 
the  same  process  of  withering  and  pressing  as  those  intended 
for  the  green  varieties.  Here,  however,  the  similarity  in 
the  process  ceases,  and  a  parting  in  the  ways,  so  to  speak, 
occurs. 

Black  tea  not  only  owes  its  color  to  the  fermentation 
process,  but  its  flavor  and  aroma  are  dependent  upon  the  pro- 
cess, in  a  great  measure,  also.  Its  character  depends  upon 
the  result  of  the  process,  hence  it  is  of  the  greatest  impor- 
tance that  it  should  be  conducted  with  extreme  care  and 
watchfulness,  for  to  stop  the  fermentation  prematurely,  or,  on 
the  other  hand,  to  allow  it  to  proceed  too  far,  will,  in  either 
case,  materially  damage  the  commercial  value  of  the  product. 
The  process  of  fermentation  cannot  be  regulated  by  timing 
it,  as  one  would  boil  an  egg,  for  the  conditions  of  atmosphere, 
weather  and  the  state  of  the  leaves  are  rarely  identical.  The 
workman,  therefore,  has  nothing  to  guide  his  judgment  save 
his  experience,  which  alone  will  teach  him  to  discern  the 
exact  moment  at  which  to  stop  the  progress  of  nature's  on- 
ward march.  Experience,  therefore,  is  all  important  and,  in 
fact,  is  absolutely  necessar}r. 

It  must  not  be  inferred  from  the  above  that  fermenta- 
tion is  all  that  is  necessary  in  the  matter  of  producing  quality 
in  a  black  tea.  Quality  of  leaf,  like  in  other  teas,  is,  of 
course,  the  greatest  factor,  but  high  grade  leaf  must  be  care- 


110  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

fully  prepared,  otherwise  its  value  will  be  materially  injured. 

Fermentation  is  attained  by  placing  the  leaves,  as  they 
come  from  the  gardens,  into  baskets,  or  on  bamboo  frames, 
and  then  covering  them  with  cloths.  In  this  condition  they 
are  allowed  to  remain  for  many  hours,  oftentimes  twenty-four 
or  more;  the  length  of  time  being  regulated  by  the  condition 
of  the  weather.  To  aid  nature  in  the  process  the  leaves  are 
gathered  up  by  the  workmen  and  thrown  into  the  air,  which 
proceeding  tends  to  separate  them.  After  having  been  tossed 
up  and  down  and  thrown  about  for  some  time,  and,  at  inter- 
vals, gently  beaten  with  the  hands,  the  leaves  become  soft  and 
flabby,  and  in  this  condition  they  are  thrown  into  heaps, 
where  they  remain  for  from  one  to  several  hours.  Self-gen- 
erated heat  results,  nature  having  been  assisted  in  the  process 
by, the  foregoing  proceedings,  and  the  leaves  undergo  a  chemi- 
cal reaction,  in  which  the  color  changes  from  green  to  brown, 
and  the  fragrance  peculiar  to  black  tea  is  developed. 

The  first  firing  of  the  leaves  then  takes  place,  the  process 
being  identical  with  that  of  green  teas.  The  leaves  are 
placed  in  iron  pans  over  the  charcoal  fire,  roasted  for  about 
five  minutes  and  are  then  deposited  upon  the  rolling  table  and 
treated  like  the  green  teas. 

After  having  been  rolled  the  balls  of  leaves  are  sepa- 
rated and  then  scattered  sparsely  over  sieves  and  exposed  to 
the  air  for  several  hours  in  order  to  dry  them.  During  this 
time  the  workmen  continually  turn  the  leaves  and  separate 
them  one  from  the  other.  This  airing  process  evaporates  the 
greater  portion  of  the  moisture  which  has  been  developed  by 
the  first  firing,  and  results  in  a  very  considerable  loss  of 
weight,  and  of  bulk.  After  evaporating  they  are  subjected  to 
a  second  firing  for  from  three  to  four  minutes  and  are  then 
taken  out  of  the  roasting  pans  and  rolled  upon  the  table  as 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  Ill 

before.  Now  comes  the  third  firing  which  is  done  in  baskets 
instead  of  in  pans. 

These  baskets  are  made  of  rattan  or  split  bamboo  about 
three  feet  high  and  are  shaped  something  like  an  hour-glass, 
wide  at  both  ends  and  drawn  in  at  the  middle.  A  sieve  is 
dropped  into  the  basket  which  is  held  in  place  by  the  nar- 
rowed centre,  and  upon  this  sieve  an  inch  deep  of  leaves  is 
spread.  The  basket  is  hung  over  the  charcoal  fire  with  one 
of  the  wide  ends  down,  and  after  five  or  six  minutes  of  ex- 
posure to  the  heat,  during  which  time  the  leaves  are  con- 
stantly watched  and  agitated  with  the  hand,  the  basket  is  re- 
moved from  the  fire  and  the  leaves  are  again  emptied  upon 
the  rolling  table  where  they  receive  their  third  rolling  and 
twisting. 

When  this  rolling  is  finished  the  leaves  are  pulled 
apart  one  from  the  other;  spread  on  the  basket  sieve  as  be- 
fore, and  set  over  the  fire  for  another  short  period ;  the  rolling 
and  firing  being  repeated,  if  necessary,  until  the  correct  shade 
of  color  is  attained  and  fixed. 

The  leaves  have,  by  this  time,  assumed  the  required  color 
and  the  continued  heating,  rolling  and  twisting  has  given  to 
them  the  requisite  roll,  curl,  or  twist,  so  that  all  that  re- 
mains is  to  dry  them  perfectly  by  another  firing,  which  results 
also  in  bringing  out  the  black  color  more  thoroughly  and 
fixing  it  permanently.  During  this  final  firing  the  workman 
works  his  hands  through  the  leaves  in  the  sieve  in  order  to 
allow  the  vapors  to  escape,  and  that  the  heat  may  permeate 
the  mass  of  leaves  equally,  and  thoroughly  dry  the  whole. 

After  the  leaves  have  cooled  the  work  of  manufacture 
is  complete,  and  the  result  is  the  China  black  tea  of  com- 
merce. The  leaves  are  then  spread  out  and  carefully  picked 
over  in  order  to  remove  stems,  bad  leaves,  etc.;  sifted,  so 
that  the  accumulated  tea-dust,  that  has  naturally  broken 


112  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

away  from  the  edges  of  the  leaves  during  the  process  of  man- 
ufacture, may  be  taken  out,  and  then  packed  for  shipment  to 
the  greater  tea-marts  of  the  interior,  or  on  the  coast. 

BLACK  TEA  CLASSIFICATION. 

China  black  teas  are  known  to  our  commerce  as  Congous, 
Ooloongs,  Souchongs,  Pekoes,  Orange  Pekoes,  Flowery  Pekoe*, 
Pouchongs,  Capers  and  other  Scented  teas. 

CONGOU  TEA  is  known  to  the  Chinese  as  Kung-fu,  that 
is,  "labor,"  or  "laboriously  made,"  and  it  is  so  called  because 
of  the  greater  amount  of  labor,  comparatively  speaking,  that 
is  expended  in  the  production  of  the  kind.  Our  word  "Con- 
gou"— sometimes  spelled  Congo — is  a  corruption  of  the  Chin- 
ese name.  Congou  teas  are  frequently  called  "English  Break- 
fast" or  "English  Breakfast  Congous" — names  by  which  tliry 
are  known  only  in  America.  In  England  the  term  "English 
Breakfast"  would  not  be  understood.  In  this  country  the  use 
of  the  term  oftentimes  leads  to  confusion,  for  Souchongs,  In- 
dias,  and  Ceylons  might  just  as  correctly  be  called  English 
Breakfast  teas,  and  frequently  are.  The  initials  "E.  B."  are 
used  as  an  abbreviation  for  the  words  "English  Breakfast;" 
for  instance:  "E.  B.  tea,"  which  most  frequently  means  a 
Congou  tea,  and  "E.  B.  Congou"  which  describes  itself. 

OOLOONG  TEA  is  known  to  the  Chinese  as  Ou-lo-ong,  or 
Ou-loung,  meaning  "green  dragon,"  and  is  so  called  bee 
of  the  small  yellowish-green  leaf  which  intermingles  with 
that  of  darker  hue,  in  greater  or  lesser  quantity  according  to 
grade.  Our  word  "Ooloong,"  or  "Oolong"  is  a  corruption  of 
the  Chinese  word. 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  113 

SOUCHONG  TEA  is  known  to  the  Chinese  as  Sian-chung, 
meaning  "little  plant,"  or  "little  sort,"  and  is  so  called  be- 
cause, it  is  said,  the  supply  is  not  great.  Our  name  for  the 
kind  is  also  a  corruption  of  the  Chinese  word.  Souchong  teas 
are  sometimes  called  E.  B.  Souchongs  to  distinguish  them 
from  the  so-called  E.  B.  Congous. 

PEKOE  TEA  is  known  to  the  Chinese  as  Pak-ho,  meaning 
"white  hairs,"  and  is  so  called  because  of  the  small  white 
hairs,  or  down,  that  grow  upon  the  young  leaves  that  are  made 
into  the  kind.  Our  name  "Pekoe"  or  "Pecco"  is  derived  from 
the  Chinese  word.  Chinese  Pekoe  teas  must  not  be  confused 
with  those  of  British  and  other  makes  of  the  same  name,  and 
known  as  "India  Pekoe,"  "Ceylon  Pekoe,"  "Java  Pekoe"  and 
others,  for  there  is,  indeed,  no  similarity.  A  China  Pekoe 
tea  is  made  from  the  very  youngest  end  leaf-buds,  and,  after 
manufacture,  the  white  hairs  appear  on  the  ends  of  the  leaves, 
and  present  what  is  known  as  "silver  tips."  British  and  other 
country  Pekoe  teas  are  made  from  older  and  larger  leaves, 
usually  the  second  grading,  and  have,  therefore,  no  resem- 
blance to  the  Chinese  kind.  China  Pekoe  teas  are  usually 
classed  as  scented  teas,  but,  like  the  Ooloong,  it  is  rarely 
scented  artificially,  the  perfume  being  inherent. 

ORANGE  PEKOE  TEA  is  known  to  the  Chinese  as  Shang- 
triang,  meaning  "most  fragrant,"  and  is  so  called  because 
of  the  fragrant  orange  perfume  that  it  emits  both  in  the  dry 
leaf  and  in  the  infusion.  Orange  Pekoe  is  artificially 
scented ;  fresh  orange  blossoms  being  used  for  the  purpose  in 
the  higher  grades.  The  lower  grades  are  usually  of  some 
cheaper  leaf,  scented  with  the  oil  of  orange,  or  with  a  cheaper 
substitute.  Like  the  China  Pekoe  tea,  Orange  Pekoe  must 
not  be  confused  with  those  of  British  and  other  makes  of  the 
same  name.  India,  Ceylon,  Java,  and  other  Orange  Pekoe 


114  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

teas  are  so  called  because  of  the  orange  colored  tips  that  in- 
termingle with  the  black  leaves  in  greater  or  lesser  quantity 
according  to  grade,  and  not  because  of  an  orange  flavor  or  per- 
fume, which  is  not  present,  as  in  the  case  of  China  Orange 
Pekoe.  China  Orange  Pekoe  tea  is  used  exclusively  for 
blending  purposes,,  a  small  proportion  imparting  a  delightful 
orange  flavor  to  the  blend  when  the  higher  grades  are  used. 
The  lower  grades  are  dangerous  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
essential  oils,  used  to  flavor  them,  are  liable  to  become  rancid, 
and  taint  the  blend. 

FLOWERY  PEKOE  TEA  is  manufactured  from  youngest  end 
leaf-buds,  the  white  hairs  of  which  suggest  that  it  is  made 
from  the  flowers  of  the  tea-plant  which  is  not  the  case. 
Flowery  Pekoe  is  a  scented  tea  and  is  used  for  blending  pur- 
poses. Its  use  for  such  a  purpose  imparts  flavor  and  style  to 
the  blend.  India,  Ceylon,  Java,  and  other  Flowery  Pekoe 
while  made  from  a  similar  end  leaf -bud,  have  no  artificial 
scent,  and,  for  this  reason,  must  not  be  confuted  with  those  of 
China.  They  are  sometimes  silvery  and  sometimes  golden 
in  color. 

POUCHONG  TEAS  are  known  to  the  Chinese  as  Pau-chung, 
or  Pau-chong,  meaning  "folded  sort,"  and  are  so  called  be- 
cause the  leaf  is  folded  rather  than  rolled  into  shape.  Pou- 
chong  teas  are  usually  packed  in  paper  packages,  and  some 
authorities  claim  that  they  are  called  "folded"  or  "wrapped 
sort"  on  this  account.  This  kind  is  strongly  scented  and  is 
used  extensively  by  the  native  Chinese  both  at  home  and  in 
America.  It  is  to  be  found  in  most  Chinese  stores  in  this 
country  packed  in  paper  packages  of  one-eighth  Ib.  each. 

CAPER  TEAS  are  known  to  the  Chinese  as  He-chu-cha, 
meaning  "black  pearl  tea"  and  are  so  called  because  of  a  sup- 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  115 

posed  resemblance  to  black  pearls.  Gunpowder  tea  is  called 
chu-cha,  meaning  "pearl  tea,"  and  Caper  tea,  he-chu-cha, 
"black  pearl  tea,"  so  that  the  latter  is  a  black  Gunpowder. 

Our  word  "Caper"  is  derived  from  the  supposed  resem- 
blance that  the  kind  has  to  the  flower-buds  of  the  caper-bush, 
known  to  commerce  as  "capers." 

The  kind  is  artificially  scented,  and,  while  not  in  exten- 
sive use  in  this  country,  it  is  a  favorite  in  England,  where 
it  is  used  for  blending  and  for  flavoring  purposes. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  kinds  of  scented  teas  there 
are  many  others  made  in  China  which  are  rarely  exported. 
For  delicacy  of  flavor  no  teas  approach  those  known  in  China 
as  "Mandarin  Teas,"  highly  scented  black  teas,  which,  being 
slightly  fired  and  rather  damp  when  at  their  best  for  use, 
will  neither  keep  nor  bear  transportation  abroad.  These  teas 
are  in  great  demand  by  the  Mandarin  and  wealthy  classes  of 
Chinese,  and  bring  extremely  high  prices  upon  the  market, 
averaging  between  $5  and  $10  per  Ib.  Such  teas  are  never 
exported. 

The  names  given  to  China's  black  teas,  viz.,  Congou, 
Ooloong,  and  Souchong,  like  the  names  of  the  green  make?, 
describe  the  style  of  the  make  of  the  leaf  after  manufacture, 
and  these  names  for  the  several  makes  are  qualified,  in  the  tea- 
trade,  by  the  names  of  the  tea-districts  where  the  kinds  are 
made. 

In  addition  to  the  district  name  the  shade  of  color  of  the 
manufactured  leaves,  and  the  individual  appearance  of  the 
sorts,  give  special  names  to  China  black  teas.  For  example: 
The  well-known  Moning  Congou  teas  were  originally  so  called 
because  they  were  produced  in  the  black-tea  districts  surround- 
ing two  towns  called  ISTing  and  Wu-ning,  from  which  words 
the  term  "Moning"  is  said  to  be  derived.  The  term  "Moning," 


116  TEA   HINTS   FOR   RETAILERS. 

however,  is  now  used  by  the  trade  to  designate  all  varieties 
of  Congou  teas  that  are  of  the  so-called  "'black  leaf"  kind,  in 
contradistinction  to  those  commercially  known  as  "Kaisow 
Congous"  or  the  "red  leaf"  kind. 

The  individual  sorts  of  both  Moning  and  Kaisow  Con- 
gous have  distinguishing  characteristics  and  distinguishing 
names  by  which  they  are  usually  known  to  the  trade;  and 
these  numerous  individual  sorts  are  sub-divided  into  many 
grades.  Congou  teas  are  also  known  as  "Xorth  China"  and 
"South  China"  Congous,  and  there  are  many  tea-men  who 
prefer  this  system  of  classification. 

Of  the  individual  sorts  of  Moning,  or  black-leaf  Congous, 
those  known  to  the  trade  as  Ning-chow,  Ly-ling,  Oo-nan, 
Oon-fa,  Oo-pak,  Kee-mun,  Kin-tuck,  Pak-lin,  Pak-lum  and 
Ho-how  are  the  better  known  in  America,  England,and  l\us- 
sia.  Each  of  these  kinds  has  its  characteristic  style  of  leaf. 
color  and  draw,  the  characteristics  being  dependent  upon  tin* 
soil,  climate  and  water  supply  of  the  several  districts  in  which 
they  are  produced,  as  well  as  upon  the  care  of  manufacture. 

Some  of  these  varieties  are  much  superior  to  others,  Ninir- 
chows,  Ly-lings,  Oon-fas,  Kin-tucks  and  Kee-muns  being  con- 
sidered the  best  varieties  of  Moning  Congou  teas. 

Moning  Congous  include  many  makes  and  many  shades 
of  color.  Some  of  the  varieties  are  small  and  well-curled  in 
leaf;  others  are  of  medium  size  of  make,  while  others  are  bold 
and  rough  of  leaf.  The  better  grades  of  Ning-chows  and  Pak- 
lums  frequently  show  the  whitish  ends  called  "Pekoe  tips." 
The  color  of  leaf  of  the  Moning  varieties  ranges  from  a  gray- 
ish-black to  a  silky,  jetty  black,  a  few  varieties  showing  a 
tinge  of  red. 

The  various  gradings  of  the  individual  sorts  depend  upon 
the  quality  of  leaf,  the  age  at  picking,  and  upon  the  care  be- 
stowed in  manufacture  as  well  as  upon  the  conditions  of  the 
weather  at  the  time  of  manufacture.  The  style  of  leaf,  and. 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  Til 

above  all,  the  cup  test,  are  the  only  means  whereby  the  quality 
of  the  several  grades  of  any  individual  sort  may  be  deter- 
mined. 

Of  the  individual  sorts  of  Kaisow,  or  red-leaf  Congou, 
those  known  to  the  trade  as  Ching-wo,  Seu-moo,  Kcri-shan,  Sar- 
yune,  Suey-kut  and  So-how  are  the  better  known  in  England 
and  America;  few,  if  any,  Kaisow  teas  finding  a  market  in 
Eussia. 

Kaisow  Congou  teas  include  many  bold  and  rough  makes 
as  well  as  many  that  are  small  and  closely  twisted.  The  color 
of  leaf  is  mostly  reddish-brown  in  hue,  those  known  as  Sar- 
yunes  being  particularly  red  in  color,  comparatively  speaking. 

The  province  Fu-Kien  is  responsible  for  the  production 
of  most  of  the  Kaisow  varieties,  the  principal  market  for  those 
grown  in  the  northern  districts  of  the  province  being  Foo- 
chow,  and,  for  this  reason,  the  teas  are  extensively  known  as 
"Foo-chow  Congous."  The  southern  tea-districts  of  the  pro- 
vince Fu-Kien  send  their  product  to  the  sea-port  Amoy. 

Other  Congou  teas  are  grown  in  various  parts  of  China, 
those  of  the  southern  province  of  Kwang-tung  being  numer- 
ous, but,  usually,  of  low  grade.  The  best  Congou  of  this 
province  is  the  kind  called  Tay-shan.  The  leaves  of  this  va- 
riety are  long,  wiry,  and  of  a  brownish-black  color.  Canton 
Congous,  like  Canton  Gunpowders,  are  made,  usually,  from 
exhausted  leaf  and  "doctored"  in  order  that  they  may  look  well 
in  the  hand.  Such  goods  are  not  now  allowed  to  enter  the 
United  States. 

The  Ooloong  teas  of  China  are  grown,  mainly,  in  the  dis- 
tricts of  the  province  Fu-Kien,  and  derive  their  distinguishing 
names  from  the  two  large  shipping  ports  of  that  province, 
Foo-chow  and  Amoy. 


118  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

The  kinds  are  known  to  commerce  as  Foo-chows,  Amoys, 
Pelcoe-Ooloongs,  Saryunes,  Padraes,  and  Anfois,  and  these  in- 
dividual kinds  are  subdivided  into  numerous  grades. 

The  Ooloong  teas  grown  in  the  island  of  Formosa,  adja- 
cent to  the  province  Fu-Kien,  and,  while  under  Chinese  rule, 
a  part  of  that  province,  have  increased  in  popularity  in  the 
markets  of  the  United  States  to  such  an  extent  during  the  last 
twenty  years  or  so,  that  fewer  China  Ooloongs  are  being  ex- 
ported each  year.  This  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  persistive 
efforts  of  the  Chinese  to  foist  poorer  leaf  upon  this  market  in 
spite  of  repeated  warnings.  We  know  that  her  manufacturers 
can  produce  the  finest  of  Ooloong  teas,  for  some  of  the  higher 
grades  are  not  infrequently  met  with  in  a  few  markets  of  this 
country,  and  the  Russians  do  not  appear  to  find  it  difficult  to 
obtain  the  usual  supply  of  Padrae-Ooloongs.  While  the  better 
grades  of  China  Ooloongs  do  not  compare  with  similar  gradings 
of  Formosas,  nor  possess  the  particularly  pleasing  and  inde- 
scribable Formosa  aroma  and  flavor,  the  old-time,  high-grade 
Foo-chow  Ooloongs,  with  their  rich,  full-bodied,  mellow  in- 
fusion, are  teas  not  easily  surpassed.  Few  of  such  teas,  how- 
ever, are  to  be  found  in  our  markets  now,  a  misfortune  which 
is  to  be  regretted,  for,  if  we  except  the  more  aromatic  Formosa, 
no  teas  of  the  kind  ever  made  can  be  compared  with  the  old- 
time  favorite  Foo-chows. 

Foo-chow  Ooloongs,  like  the  green  teas  of  China,  arc 
usually  purchased  in  chops.  These  chops  are  divided  into 
gradings  known  as  "firsts,"  "seconds,"  "thirds,"  "fourths"  and 
"fifths,"  each  grading  following  in  the  order  of  quality  as 
named. 

Foo-chow  Ooloongs  vary  considerably  in  general  appear- 
ance; the  higher  grades  being  quite  dark  of  leaf  and  well 
made ;  the  medium  grades  are  larger  and  more  loosely  twisted, 
while  the  poorer  grades  are  quite  large,  coarse,  and  irregular  in 
make. 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  119 

Amoy  Ooloongs  comprise  a  number  of  district  teas  far 
apart  in  general  appearance  and  quality.  The  better  grades 
are  of  good  looking  leaf,  quite  light  in  color,  and  very  differ- 
ent in  general  appearance  to  the  lower  grades,  which  are  un- 
couth in  make,  and  very  dark  in  color.  Being  produced  in 
widely  separated  districts- of  the  province,  these  Ooloong  teas 
are  subjected  to  different  methods  of  manufacture,  as  well  as 
to  different  climatic  influences,  hence,  the  great  difference  in 
the  general  appearance  of  the  leaf. 

China  Souchong  teas,  although  similar  in  general  appear- 
ance to  Congou  makes,  are  usually  made  from  superior,  that  is 
younger  leaf,  and,  in  consequence,  possess  superior  drinking 
qualities.  In  style  they  are  not  so  well  made,  curled  or  twisted 
as  Congous,  but  in  cup  qualities  they  are  usually  superior,  the 
drink  being  considered  of  *  more  importance  than  a  stylish 
appearance.  This  class  of  tea  is  divided  into  several  varieties 
and  the  varieties  into  many  grades.  Souchongs  are  known  to 
the  trade  as  "Lapsings"  "Padraes"  "Pekoe-Souchongs"  and 
others. 

Souchong  teas  vary  in  general  appearance;  those  known 
as  "Lapsings"  or  "Foo-chow  Souchongs"  being  large  of  leaf, 
well  made  and  good  looking.  Padrae-Souchongs,  on  the  other 
hand,  are  smaller  of  leaf,  blacker,  and  more  like  a  Congou. 
Pekoe- Souchongs  are  larger  and  blacker  than  Padraes,  but  not 
so  large  as  Lapsings.  The  name  "Pekoe- Souchong"  is  given 
to  this  variety  because  of  the  "pekoe"  or  white  tips  showing 
on  the  leaves. 

Souchong  teas  are  not  in  general  use  in  the  markets  of  the 
United  States.  Some  of  the  Eastern  markets,  however,  favor 
them,  and  find  them  more  satisfactory  than  the  ordinary  run 
of  Congous,  particularly  for  blending  purposes. 

China  Souchong  teas  must  not  be  confused  with  British 
made  teas  of  the  same  name.  In  India  and  Ceylon  the  name 


120  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

"Souchong"  is  given  to  leaf  that  is  by  no  means  equal  to  the 
Souchong  leaf  of  China.  India  and  Ceylon  Souchong  teas  are 
usually  of  the  third  and  fourth  gradings  of  leaf,  and  are  in- 
ferior to  Flowery  Pekoe,  Orange  Pekoe  and  Pekoe  leaf. 


LEAF  PREPARATION. 

JAPAN. — The  teas  produced  in  Japan  are  known  to  the 
outside  commercial  world  as  "Pan-Fired"  or  "Regular  Japan," 
"Sun-Cured"  or  "Sun-Dried"  "Basket-Fired"  and  "Porcelain- 
Fired" — the  latter  a  new  name  for  a  very  old  make — and  from 
each  of  these  kinds,  Nibs,  Fannings,  Siftings  and  Dusts  are 
taken. 

These  teas,  although  of  different  shades  of  color,  are,  in 
reality,  all  green  teas,  and,  in  style  of  make,  general  appearance 
and  drinking  qualities,  are  unlike  the  teas  of  any  other  coun- 
try. As  has  already  been  stated,  the  Japanese  manufacturers 
have  repeatedly  attempted  to  produce  teas  patterned  after  the 
Chinese  black  and  green  sorts;  such  as  Congous,  Ooloongs, 
Gunpowders,  etc.,  but,  so  far,  their  efforts  in  this  direction 
have  met  with  indifferent  success  in  point  of  quality,  caused, 
no  doubt,  by  the  inadaptability  of  the  leaf  produced  in  Japan. 
No  efforts,  however,  are  being  spared  to  make  the  manufac- 
ture of  these  other  sorts  a  success,  and  it  is  very  possible  that, 
with  the  increasing  foreign  demand  for  black  teas  of  the  differ- 
ent kinds,  success  will  eventually  crown  their  efforts. 

The  terms  used  to  designate  the  different  kinds  of  Japan 
teas  are  indicative  of  the  methods  of  European  manufacture, 
and  have  little  or  nothing  to  do  with  native  Japanese  ideas  of 
tea-manufacture.  The  terms  "Pan-Fired,"  "Basket-Fired," 
"Sun-Dried"  and  "Porcelain-Fired"  come  to  us,  therefore, 
from  the  firing  go-downs  at  Yokohama  and  Hiogo-Kobe  which 


MAP    SHOWING    THE    TEA    DISTRICTS    OF   JAPAN. 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  121 

are  owned  and  operated  by  American  and  European  manufac- 
turers, who  are  responsible  for  the  naming  of  the  kinds,  and 
the  idea  that  these  terms  originated  with  the  Japanese  or  are 
translations  of  Japanese  names  for  the  makes,  is  entirely  er- 
roneous. 

The  native  Japanese  tea-manufacturers  originally  knew, 
or  rather  adopted,  but  one  method  of  tea-leaf  preparation, 
which  gives  a  result  similar  to  that  of  basket-firing,  although 
fired  in  a  pan,  and,  to  this  day,  all  teas  brought  in  from  the 
country  districts,  for  the  purpose  of  sale  to  the  European  man- 
ufacturers, are  prepared  by  the  Japanese  growers  after  their 
own  particular  method. 

Although,  in  the  condition  in  which  it  is  sold  to  the  Euro- 
peans native-leaf  is  thoroughly  prepared  for  use  and  fit  to 
brew,  it  is  called  "raw-leaf,"  and,  from  this  so-called  raw-leaf, 
the  European  go-down  owners  manufacture  the  various  Japan 
kinds  as  they  are  known  in  this  country. 

Originally  the  only  idea  of  the  Europeans  was  to  re-fire 
the  prepared  native-leaf  in  order  that  it  might  be  better  able 
to  withstand  the  exigencies  of  an  ocean  voyage,  and  arrive 
at  its  destination  in  perfect  condition  for  use.  The  possibil- 
ities, however,  of  introducing  new  makes  or  styles  of  leaf, 
were  eventually  suggested,  and  the  result  was  the  production 
of  the  Pan-Fired  and  Sun-Cured  makes,  lately  followed  by 
a  new  make  &.  this  country  called  "Porcelain- Fired." 

In  addition  to  the  above-mentioned  terms  which  are  used 
to  designate  the  kinds,  the  wholesale  and  importing  trade  is 
accustomed  to  apply  the  name  of  the  port  at  which  the 
teas  are  manufactured  for  export  as  a  qualification  of  the 
kinds.  Thus  the  teas  grown  in  the  country  districts  surround- 
ing and  tributary  to  the  manufacturing  sea-port,  Hiogo-Kobe, 
are  known  as  "Kobe  Basket-Fireds,"  "Kobe  Sun-Drieds,"  and 
"Kobe  Pan-Fireds;"  and  the  teas  grown  in  the  country  dis- 
tricts tributary  to  the  manufacturing  sea-port,  Yokohama,  are 


122  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

known  as  "Yokohama  Basket-Fireds,"  "Yokohama  Pan- 
Fireds,"  and  "Yokohama  Sun-Drieds." 

The  sea-port  Nagasaki  gives  its  name  to  the  few  teas 
exported  from  the  southern  island,  Kiushui;  and  the  sea- 
port Niigata  names  the  product  of  the  provinces  of  the  Japan 
Sea,  although  the  teas  of  these  provinces  are  not  often  ex- 
ported. 

In  speaking  of  the  twin  sea-port  cities  Hiogo-Kobe,  it  i? 
customary  to  use  either  half  of  the  hyphened  word,  so  that 
we  hear  the  word  "Hiogo"  or  the  word  "Kobe"  used  at  will 
to  designate  Hiogo-Kobe  leaf,  the  terms  being  synonymous  as 
far  as  the  above  use  is  concerned. 

The  interior  tea-growing  districts  of  Japan  are  becoming 
much  better  known  than  formerly,  and,  as  a  result,  indi- 
vidual district  teas  are  becoming  sufficiently  well  known  to  be 
called  after  their  district  of  growth ;  a  system  of  classification 
that  is  much  more  specific  and,  therefore,  much  more  satis- 
factory than  the  old  one  of  classing  all  teas,  grown  in  the 
western  districts  as  "Kobe  teas"  and  all  eastern  grown  teas 
as  "Yokohama,"  inasmuch  as  such  a  system  tends  to  indi- 
vidualize teas. 

Many  Japan  tea-districts  also  have  become  notorious  a? 
producers  of  superior  or  of  inferior  leaf,  as  the  case  may  be, 
.or  of  leaf  that  possesses  certain  qualifications  of  style  or  of 
drink,  so  that  the  naming  of  the  product  of  each  district  by 
the  name  of  its  district  of  growth  would  give  a  much  better 
general  idea  of  the  character  of  its  tea  than  the  wholesale 
classification  of  many  distinctive  district  teas  under  the  namo 
of  Kobe  or  of  Yokohama  teas. 

The  best  known  Kobe  teas  are  produced  in  the  numerous 
tea-districts  of  the  provinces  of  Yamashiro,  Omi,  Yamato, 
Iga,  Ise,  and  others  surrounding  the  Biwa  Lake,  but  the  mo?t 
celebrated  leaf  is  grown  in  Yamashiro,  which  province  lends 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  123 

its  name  to  the  product  of  many  of  the  tea-districts  within  its 
borders. 

The  Uji  tea-district  in  Yamashiro  has  been,  for  centuries, 
celebrated  for  the  great  superiority  of  its  leaf,  and,  at  home 
and  abroad,  Uji  teas  are  recognized  as  of  the  finest  of  Japan's 
production.  The  highest '  grades  of  this  leaf  are  rarely,  if 
ever,  shipped  abroad;  the  demand  of  wealthy  natives  for  the 
high-grade,  shade-grown  teas,  which  bring  as  high  a  price 
as  ten  dollars  a  pound,  allowing  none  for  export,  even  if  a 
foreign  market  demanded  the  product.  For  the  production  of 
this  rare  Uji  leaf  many  acres  of  high-class  tea-land  are  en- 
closed by  a  frame-work  of  bamboo  poles,  over  which  matting 
is  stretched  in  order  to  give  a  perfect  shade  from  the  hot  rays 
of  the  sun,  as  well  as  a  shelter  from  the  winds  and  heavy  rains 
which  are  common  in  April  and  May,  during  which  months 
the  plants  are  putting  forth  their  young  and  tender  leaf-buds. 
Many  Uji  teas,  however,  are  exported  to  the  United  States, 
but  these  are  merely  standard  grades  from  the  unprotected 
gardens  of  the  district. 

Of  the  other  provincial  tea-districts  which  are  tributary 
to  Kobe  little  is  known  in  this  country,  and  although  mil- 
lions of  pounds  are  produced  annually  by  them,  no  particular 
district  among  them,  except  those  specified,  has  made  a  name 
abroad,  so  that,  by  the  trade,  their  combined  product  is  known 
as  Kobe  tea.  Teas  produced  in  the  Yamashiro  province  dis- 
tricts, on  the  other  hand,  are  well  known  and  quite  popular 
in  the  United  States,  and  the  name  "Yamashiro/7  so  fre- 
quently seen  printed  upon  tea-chest  labels,  is  familiar  in  tea- 
trade  circles. 

The  tea-producing  districts  tributary  to  the  sea-port  Yoko- 
hama are  numerous,  widely  separated,  and  ever  increasing. 
The  best  known  to  American  importers  are  those  of  Hachioji 
—pronounced  Hach-o-gee — Enshu,  Kawane,  Shizuoka,  and 
Suruga,  to  which  may  be  added  the  now  celebrated  leaf  known 


124  TEA   HINTS   FOR   RETAILERS. 

as  Momikiri  and  Fujieda,  and,  of  these,  until  quite  recently, 
the  leaf  of  Hachioji  is,  or  was,  the  most  celebrated. 

For  many  years  this  famous  little  district  produced  a 
characteristic  leaf  which  was  admitted  to  be  the  finest  of  all 
Yokohama  teas ;  and  justly  so,  for,  with  the  possible  exception 
of  the  finer  teas  of  the  Uji  district,  no  leaf  of  Japan  has,  so 
far,  been  able  to  surpass  that  of  Hachioji.  Unfortunately 
this  leaf  has,  of  late  years,  declined  in  quantity,  but  other  dis- 
tricts of  the  same  neighborhood  are  coming  to  the  front  with 
leaf  of  extraordinary  quality — notably  those  of  Kawane, 
Enshu,  Shizuoka,  Fujieda,  and  others — which  bid  fair  to 
gain  for  themselves  a  reputation  equal  to  that  of  Hachioji. 

The  country  districts  of  the  province  Alino,  and  those  that 
are  tributary  to  Nagahama,  Niigata  and  other  cities  of  the 
far  interior  produce  teas  in  large  quantities,  but  mainly  for 
home  consumption.  The  leaf  of  the  districts  tributary  to 
these  cities,  and  usually  named  after  them,  is  not  considered 
quite  suitable  for  manufacture  into  export  teas,  and,  even 
were  this  not  the  case,  their  relatively  greater  distances  from 
market  would  naturally  cause  a  greater  cost  of  transportation, 
and  create  prohibitive  original  costs. 

Both  Kobe  and  Yokohama  teas  are  distinctive  and  char- 
acteristic, but  it  is  not  possible  to  say  which  are  best,  for  each 
class  has  its  admirers  among  tea-importers  and  tea-men,  and 
so  very  much  depends  upon  the  way  in  which  the  raw-leaf 
is  made  and  fired.  Yokohama,  however,  is  supposed  to  pro- 
duce the  best  Basket- Fired  teas ;  while  many  importers  prefer 
Kobe  Sun-Dried  and  Pan-Fired  teas.  It  is  a  mere  matter  of 
taste,  or  of  preference,  however,  for  it  frequently  happens 
that  a  Kobe  tea  of  equal  grading  will  style  or  cup  better  than 
a  Yokohama,  and  vice  versa. 

Nagasaki,  the  sea-port  city  of  Kiushui,  the  most  southerly 
island  of  the  island  Empire,  gives  its  name  abroad  to  the  tea- 
product  of  that  island.  Nagasaki  teas,  although  sometimes 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  125 

met  with  in  the  markets  of  the  United  States,  are  not  very 
popular.  A  large  quantity  of  the  leaf  is  produced  all  over 
the  island,  but  the  teas  are  mainly  used  for  home  consump- 
tion. 


The  preparation  of  the  leaf  in  Japan  differs  somewhat 
from  the  process  employed  by  the  manufacturers  of  China, 
although  the  principles  involved,  and  the  results  attained  are 
virtually  the  same :  for  all  preparatory  methods  are  intended 
to  accomplish  the  same  end;  that  of  preserving  the  leaf  from 
one  season  to  the  other. 

While  the  native  Japanese  method  of  preparation  is 
complete  enough  to  enable  the  teas  to  keep  from  one  season 
to  another  in  Japan,  it  is  not  sufficiently  so  to  enable  them 
to  bear  ocean  transportation,  so  that,  in  order  that  the  leaf 
may  be  hardened  and  preserved  against  dampness  and  change 
of  climate,  the  European  manufacturers  of  Hiogo-Kobe  and 
Yokohama  are  compelled  to  heavily  re-fire  the  native-made 
leaf,  and,  during  this  process,  advantage  is  taken  to  add  style 
in  order  to  improve  the  uncouth  appearance  of  the  native 
product. 

The  native  method  of  preparation  is  as  follows :  As  soon 
after  picking  as  possible  all  Japan  leaf  is  steamed.  This  is 
accomplished  in  the  following  manner  and  for  the  following 
reasons : 

A  number  of  iron  kettles  or  pans  are  enclosed  in  such  a 
way  that  the  steam  will  be  prevented  from  escaping.  The 
top  or  mouth  of  each  pan  is  so  arranged  that  a  sieve  may 
be  placed  tightly  in  it,  and  a  cover  then  fits  securely  over  all. 
The  pans  are  half  filled  with  cold  water,  and,  underneath,  a 
brisk  charcoal  fire  is  started.  When  the  water  begins  to  boil 
and  the  steam  ascends,  several  handfuls  of  the  green  leaves 
are  placed  in  the  sieve  and  the  cover  fitted  in  place.  The  ris- 


126  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

ing  steam  permeates  the  batch  of  leaves,  and,  for  about  a  min- 
ute or  less,  is  allowed  to  do  so.  Then  the  well-known  odor  of 
tea  arises  from  the  pans,  and  the  steaming  process  is  complete. 

The  object  of  steaming  the  leaves  is,  at  once,  to  prevent 
oxidation,  and  to  render  them  moist,  soft,  and  pliable  for  the 
subsequent  firing  and  rolling,  the  process  serving  the  same 
purpose  as  the  first  short  roasting  of  green  teas  by  the  Chinese. 

The  leaves  are  then  taken  out  of  the  sieves,  thoroughly 
shaken  in  order  to  separate  them,  and  are  spread  on  matting 
or  on  tables  to  cool.  Cooling  is  aided  by  a  vigorous  fanning, 
for  it  is  important  that  the  leaves  cool  quickly  in  order  that 
their  pliancy  may  not  be  impaired  as  would  be  the  case  were 
they  allowed  to  cool  naturally.  After  the  leaves  are  cooled 
they  are  ready  for  firing ;  a  process  which  must  be  completed 
before  the  leaves  lose  their  pliancy  and  become  crisp,  other- 
wise they  would  not  twist. 

The  native  method  of  firing  tea-leaves  is  different  from 
the  methods  employed  by  the  European  manufacturers  of 
Japan,  who  use  either  baskets  or  iron  pans.  Fire-places  are 
built  up  from  the  ground  and  these  are  covered  with  large 
pieces  of  matting  which  enclose  the  heat  on  all  sides.  Upon 
the  top  of  the  matting  is  placed  an  oblong  shaped  wooden 
trough  with  a  sieve-like  bottom,  and  into  this  trough  the 
cooled  leaves  are  placed.  A  banked  charcoal  fire  beneath  gives 
sufficient  heat  to  affect  the  leaves,  which  are  kept  in  continual 
motion  by  the  operator.  After  the  leaves  have  been  sulli- 
ciently  fired  they  are  thrown  out  upon  a  piece  of  matting  and 
rolled  thereon  by  the  hands  of  the  operator  until  they  assume 
their  necessary  twist  or  roll.  Afterwards  they  are  winnowed 
and  sieved  to  separate  the  sif tings,  dust,  and  refuse;  then 
packed  into  native  wooden  half-picul  boxes,  and  are  ready  to 
be  hauled  to  market  for  sale. 

Upon  arrival  at  the  tea-mart  the  native-fired  leaf  is  pur- 
chased by  the  European  manufacturers,  through  native  brok- 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  127 

ers,  at  so  much  per  picul — 133^  Ibs. — and,  after  delivery,, 
each  lot  is  graded  and  tested  by  the  cupping  process  to  deter- 
mine its  qualifications.  The  European  expert  then  specifies 
by  what  process  each  lot  shall  be  prepared  for  export,  being 
governed  in  both  the  purchase  of  the  leaf  and  the  method  of 
manufacture  by  the  American  orders  which  his  firm  may  have 
on  hand  at  the  time  of  purchase. 

The  firing  process  by  which  the  so-called  "native  raw- 
leaf"  is  prepared  for  export  by  the  European  go-down  owners 
gives  to  each  kind  of  Japan  tea  a  distinguishing  name;  the 
name  of  the  process  of  firing,  in  fact. 

JAPAN  TEA  CLASSIFICATION. 

BASKET-FIRED  TEAS. — Basket  firing  is  a  simple  opera- 
tion, and  produces,  as  the  name  implies,  the  teas  so  well 
known  to  American  commerce  as  "Basket- Fired"  and  "Spider- 
Leg  Japans." 

The  higher  grades  of  this  kind  are  made  from  young, 
succulent  leaves,  which,  owing  to  their  extreme  pliancy,  are 
easily  twisted  into  the  long,  dark-olive-green,  wiry  leaf,  usu- 
ally known  as  "Spider-Leg."  The  medium  grades  are  made 
from  leaf  of  older  growth;  are  less  pliable  and,  consequently, 
are  less  tightly  rolled  when  manufactured;  while  the  lower 
grades  are  loosely  rolled,  owing  to  their  greater  age  and  lesser 
pliancy,  and  contain  many  large,  flat,  poorly  made  leaves  of 
a  lifeless  color  when  not  artificially  "faced"  or  colored. 

Basket-fired  teas,  like  other  Japan  makes,  are  manu- 
factured from  either  first,  second  or  third  pickings;  those  of 
the  first  crop  or  pickings  being  much  superior  in  cupping 
qualities  to  second  crop  teas ;  and  second  crop  to  third.  Second 
crop  leaf,  that  is,  leaf  picked  in  mid-summer,  produces  leaf 
of  excellent  style,  if  the  season  is  damp  enough  to  give  plente- 
ous sap  to  the  leaf,  and,  for  this  reason,  is  chosen,  in  prefer- 


128  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

ence  to  first  crop  leaf,  by  those  importers  who  depend  upon 
style  of  leaf  alone  to  sell  their  teas.  Second  and  third  crop 
teas  cost,  proportionately,  less  money  than  first  crops  owing 
to  their  inferior  drinking  qualities. 

Basket-fired  teas  are  frequently  known  as  "Uncolored 
Japans/'  in  contradistinction  to  the  "Pan-Fired"  or  "Regular" 
makes,  which  are,  as  a  rule,  more  heavily  faced  or  colored. 
For  the  same  reason  Sun-Dried  teas  are  sometimes  known  a^ 
"Uncolored  Japans"  and  have,  perhaps,  a  better  right  to  the 
title  than  the  Basket-fired  makes. 

The  baskets  used  in  firing  Basket-fired  teas  are  made 
of  split  bamboo,  securely  woven,  open  at  both  ends  and  shaped 
like  huge  dice-boxes.  This  basket  is  placed  over  a  pan  full 
of  live  coals,  banked  over  with  ashes,  in  order  to  prevent  smoke 
from  ascending  and  circulating  through  the  leaves  during  the 
operation,  as  well  as  to  allow  a  slow,  steady  heat.  Into  the  top- 
end  of  the  dice-box  shaped  basket,  and  above  the  ihv.  is 
tightly  fitted  a  round,  flat  bamboo  sieve,  into  which  the  tea- 
leaves  are  placed.  The  ascending  heat,  confined  by  the  basket. 
permeates  the  mass  of  leaves,  which  curl  and  twist,  and, 
shortly,  become  moist  and  pliable  under  its  action.  Each 
basket  is  served  by  a  strong  native  man,  almost  naked,  who  re- 
peatedly lifts  the  soft,  moist  leaves  and  lets  them  fall  a^ain, 
until  they  acquire  a  darker  shade  of  color.  When  pliable 
enough  he  rubs  and  rolls  the  leaves  gently  between  the  palms 
of  his  hands ;  breaking  up  and  scattering  the  bunches  as  they 
clog  together;  repeating  the  operation  over  and  over  airaiu 
until  the  mass  has  assumed  the  required  dark  olive-green 
color,  and  the  leaves  are  separated  and  have  assumed  the  re- 
quired twist  or  roll.  During  this  process  a  small  portion  of 
powdered  plumbago  is  sprinkled  over  the  mass  of  leaves,  the 
rubbing,  rolling  and  heat  causing  it  to  spread  evenly  over  the 
leaves  to  which  it  imparts  a  glossy  appearance.  Most  Basket- 
fired  teas  are  "assisted"  in  style  by  the  use  of  plumbago  or 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  129 

other  substance,  but  the  proportion  used  is  usually  so  trifling 
that  it  is  not  considered  injurious. 

After  firing,  the  leaves  are  emptied  from  the  baskets  and 
allowed  to  cool  and  dry,  when  they  become  quite  brittle;  then 
they  are  winnowed  and  sieved  in  order  to  take  out  the  ac- 
cumulated nibs,  siftings  and  dust,  which,  in  turn,  are  sieved 
to  separate  them  and  to  remove  all  stems,  seed-capsules  and 
other  refuse.  The  tea,  nibs,  siftings  and  dust  are  then  con- 
veyed to  the  packing-room,  where  they  are  packed  into  half- 
chests,  quarter-chests,  boxes  or  packages  of  specified  equal 
weight,  and  are  then  ready  for  export. 

PAN-FIRED  TEAS. — This  make  of  Japan  teas  is  frequently 
called  "Regular  Japan"  to  distinguish  it  from  the  Sun-dried 
kinds  which  are  also  fired  in  a  pan. 

In  the  manufacture  of  Pan-fired  teas  the  leaves  undergo 
a  treatment  quite  similar  to  that  which  produces  teas  that  are 
fired  by  the  basket  process,  the  difference  being  in  the  recep- 
tacle in  which  the  firing  is  done. 

A  series  of  brick-work  furnaces  is  built  in  long,  regular 
rows  across  the  go-down ;  sufficient  space  being  allowed  between 
each  furnace  for  the  operator  to  stand  and  work  in.  Upon  the 
top  of  each  of  these  furnaces,  and  directly  over  a  banked  char- 
coal fire  beneath,  is  fixed  a  round  iron  pan,  and  in  front  of 
this  pan  the  operator  stands.  The  operators  employed  in  pan- 
firing  are  usually  native  women  and  girls,  for  the  work  is 
not  so  arduous  as  that  of  basket-firing. 

The  pans  are  first  warmed,  and,  at  a  given  signal  from 
the  "comprador" — as  the  foreman  is  called,  and  these  com- 
pradors are  usually  Chinamen — each  operator  immediately 
places  her  batch  of  leaves,  usually  about  five  pounds,  into  the 
pan  in  front.  The  work  is  then  similar  to  that  of  basket- 
firing.  The  leaves,  quickly  becoming  soft  and  moist,  are  kept 
in  constant  motion  by  the  hands;  then  rubbed  between  the 


130  TEA  HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

palms  and  rolled  against  the  smooth  sides  of  the  pan  until 
the  requisite  roll  or  twist  is  attained,  and  the  color  of 
leaf  is  fixed.  An  artificial  coloring  matter,  is  sprinkled  over 
the  leaves  during  the  process  in  order  to  assist  the  style,  but, 
except  in  the  case  of  exceptionally  low  grades,  the  quantity 
used  is  not  great  enough  to  be  injurious.  Before  the  passage 
of  the  United  States  Tea  Act  many  low  grade  Pan-fired  teas, 
heavily  faced  with  Prussian  blue,  gypsum  or  kaolin,  were 
found  upon  our  markets,  but  such  teas  are  now  refused  ad- 
mittance by  U.  S.  Government  authorities.  When  perfectly 
dry  the  tea  is  taken  out  of  the  pans,  spread  out,  sifted  and 
sorted  as  before,  and  is  then  ready  for  the  packing  room. 

SUN-DRIED  TEAS.— The  term  "Sun-dried,"  or  "Sun- 
cured,"  as  applied  to  this  make  of  Japan  tea,  is,  in  reality,  a 
misnomer,  although  it  would  be  difficult,  under  the  circum- 
stances, to  decide  upon  a  better  term  to  fit  the  case.  To  the 
uninitiated  the  term  might  suggest  that  this  class  of  tea  was 
altogether  prepared  by  drying  or  curing  by  the  aid  of  sun- 
heat,  but  such  is  by  no  means  the  case.  It  is  said  that  the 
term  originated  with  a  Chicago  importer,  at  the  time  when 
the  make  first  appeared  upon  the  market,  and,  if  such  is  the 
case,  the  gentleman  is  to  be  congratulated  upon  his  choice  of 
name. 

Sun-dried  teas,  like  all  other  Japan  makes  as  we  know 
them,  are  made  from  native-prepared  leaf.  This  native-leaf, 
as  it  is  brought  in,  is  subjected  to  a  steaming  process  in  the 
European  go-downs,  and  then  partially  dried  in  the  sun — 
hence  the  name — and  during  this  partial  sun-drying  the  leaves 
undergo  a  very  slight  chemical  change,  approaching  oxidation. 
Pan-firing,  identical  with  the  Pan-fired  tea  process,  is  then 
used  to  toast  the  teas  and  apply  the  twist  or  roll,  after  which 
the  made  teas  are  cooled,  sifted  and  boxed  for  shipment. 

Sun-dried  teas,  although  of  much  more  recent  origin  than 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  131 

the  other  two  Japan  kinds,  have  made  a  steady  progress  in  the 
markets  of  the  United  States,  superseding  the  other  makes  in 
many  sections.  This  class  of  tea  is  usually  reliable  and  more 
regular,  as  a  whole,  in  drinking  qualities,  and  is,  therefore, 
better  adapted  for  winning  and  holding  trade. 

The  kind  is  not  infrequently  known  to  the  retail  trade, 
and  to  consumers,  as  "Uncolored  Japan"  or  "Natural  Leaf," 
and  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  the  same  terms  are  f requently, 
and  with  as  much  reason,  applied  to  Basket-fired  Japans,  either 
one  of  these  terms  would  be  as  appropriate  as  the  terms  "Sun- 
dried"  or  "Sun-cured,"  by  which  the  make  is  known  to  com- 
merce. 

PORCELAIN-FIRED  TEAS. — The  name  "Porcelain-fired" 
has  been  given  to  an  old-fashioned  make  of  tea,  but  one  which 
is,  comparatively  speaking,  new  upon  the  American  market, 
where  it  has  been  known  but  a  few  years.  It  would,  indeed, 
be  difficult  to  discover  a  good  reason  for  the  choice  of  such  a 
name,  but  it  will  be  safe  to  assume  that  it  has  been  adopted 
for  want  of  a  better  one  to  describe  the  make  correctly.  In 
appearance  the  teas  do  not  resemble  porcelain,  nor  is  there 
anything  about  them  to  suggest  the  term.  It  would  be  absurd 
to  suggest  that  porcelain-lined  pans  were  used  for  the  purpose 
of  firing  the  teas,  for,  if  such  pans  could  be  used,  they  would 
have  no  different  effect  upon  the  leaf,  nor  could  their  use  be 
expected  to  do  the  work  to  better  advantage  than  the  regula- 
tion iron  pans.  The  name  "Porcelain-fired,"  therefore,  is, 
presumably,  given  to  the  kind  to  distinguish  it  from  other 
makes,  and  it  may  as  well  be  taken  in  this  sense  until  such 
time  as  a  definition  may  be  forthcoming  from  those  who  are 
responsible  for  the  choice. 

Porcelain-fired  Japan  teas  are  prepared  after  native 
methods,  and,  while  having  the  general  appearance  of  the 
Basket-fired  kinds,  are,  in  reality,  re-fired  in  a  pan.  During 


132  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

the  process  of  re-firing  no  attempt  is  made  to  artificially  color 
the  leaf,  so  that  this  class  of  Japan  tea  is  the  only  class  ex- 
ported that  is  really  entitled  to  be  called  "Uncolored  Japan." 

While  approaching  the  Basked-fired  kinds  in  appearance, 
Porcelain-fired  Japans  are  made  like  Sun-drieds,  and  in  cup 
qualities  are  nearer  to  the  latter  than  the  former  kinds.  Cup 
quality  is  all  that  is  expected" in  a  Porcelain-fired  tea,  and  even 
the  lowest  grades  give  good  returns  at  the  testing-table,  very 
much  better  returns  in  the  cup,  indeed,  than  the  style  would 
indicate.  The  higher  grades  are  made  from  sweet-drawing, 
flavory  leaf  of  the  best  districts,  and  the  drink  of  these  comes 
nearer  to  the  drink  of  good  leaf,  as  expected  in  Japan,  than 
that  of  any  other  kind.  It  is,  of  course,  necessary  to  re-fire 
all  tea-leaf  destined  for  export  trade,  otherwise  the  teas  would 
"go  back"  during  a  long  voyage  in  a  ship's  damp  hold,  or  de- 
teriorate rapidly  after  reaching  their  destination.  Porcelain- 
fired  teas  are  re-fired  as  lightly  as  possible,  so  that  the  natural 
sweetness  of  the  high-grade  leaf  is  not  so  much  impaired  as 
it  is  in  the  case  of  other  teas,  but,  for  this  reason,  they  should 
be  used  as  quickly  as  possible  after  arrival,  for  they  cannot 
be  expected  to  possess  the  keeping  qualities  of  higher  fired 
teas.  Many  importing  houses  are  making  a  specialty  of  Por- 
celain-fired Japans,  which  they  usually  pack  in  sealed  pack- 
ages of  retailing  size.  This  practice  is  commendable,  for  it 
assists  in  the  keeping  of  the  teas,  a  result  which  cannot  be 
expected  should  the  kind  be  exposed. 

The  leaf  of  the  finer  grades  of  Porcelain-fired  teas  is  of 
medium  length  and  fairly  well  twisted,  but,  inasmuch  as  less 
labor  is  expended  upon  it  during  the  process  of  re-firing  and 
rolling,  than  is  expended  upon  equal  cost  teas  of  the  Basket- 
fired  kinds,  and  as  no  artificial  coloring  is  used  to  aid  appear- 
ance, the  leaf  does  not  look  quite  so  stylish  as  that  of  the 
artificially  assisted  Basket-fired  kinds.  The  medium  grades 
are  sometimes  "crappy,"  that  is,  slightly  curled  at  the  ends, 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  133 

and  sometimes  straight  in  leaf,  while  the  poorer  grades  are 
open  and  flat,  poorly  twisted  and  irregular.  In  color  these 
teas  resemble  Sun-drieds  more  than  Basket-fireds  although, 
on  account  of  their  longer  leaf,  they  can  the  more  readily  be 
passed  for  the  latter  kinds,  for  which  they  are  quite  frequently 
sold.  Taken  as  a  whole,  Porcelain-fired  Japan  -teas  have,  so 
far,  proved  to  be  an  eminently  satisfactory  sort,  and  where  cup 
qualities  are  of  more  importance  than  a  stylish  appearance, 
these  teas  will  hardly  fail  to  please,  and  more  particularly  so 
in  countries  where  the  water,  in  which  they  are  to  be  infused 
by  consumers,  is  soft  and  pure. 


JAPAN  NIBS  —  is  a  term  applied  to  the  .lumpy 
which,  during  the  process  of  manufacture,  refuse  to  yield  to 
the  required  twist  or  curl.  Nibs  are  obtained  from  all  kinds 
and  grades  of  Japan  teas,  but  in  widely  varying  quantities. 
Thus  we  have  "Basket-fired  Nibs,"  "Sun-dried  Nibs,"  and 
"Pan-fired  Nibs,"  each  of  the  kinds  being  separated  by  siev- 
ing from  the  respective  sorts  after  which  they  are  named. 
During  the  firing  process,  and  when  the  leaves  are  moist,  leaf 
that  contains  a  superabundance  of  sap  or  moisture  cannot  be 
forced  to  take  the  roll  or  twist  required,  inasmuch  as  the  sur- 
plus sap  gums  up  the  leaf  and  causes  it  to  assume  irregular 
shapes.  Such  leaf,  after  separation,  is  called  "Nibs,"  and  it?. 
shape  is  sometimes  long  and  thick,  but,  more  often,  lumpy 
and  round. 

In  grade  Japan  Nibs  should  be  identical  with  the  quality 
of  leaf  being  manufactured  at  the  time  that  they  are  obtained, 
and,  in  fact,  the  Nibs  of  the  finer  grades  usually  give  ex- 
cellent results  in  the  cup,  although  it  frequently  happens  that, 
owing  to  the  greater  quantity  of  sap  or  other  moisture  con- 
tained within  the  lumpy  leaves,  a  much  poorer  quality  of 
liquor  is  obtained.  The  medium  and  lower  grades  are  usu- 
ally sold  for  what  they  are  in  style  and  cup  qualities,  these 


134  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

qualifications  creating  their  market  value.  The  style,  or 
rather,  lack  of  style,  is  responsible  for  their  low  cost  grading 
in  comparison  with  the  regular  kinds  of  teas  from  which  they 
are  separated,  but,  inasmuch  as  Nibs,  as  well  as  Siftings  and 
Dusts,  are  looked  upon  by  the  manufacturers  as  so  much  loss 
of  weight  during  manufacture,  their  value,  at  regular  tea 
cost,  is  added  to  the  cost  of  the  tea  from  which  they  are  taken, 
so  that  if  freight,  packing  charges,  insurance  and  other  costs 
are  obtained  for  them  when  sold,  no  loss  is  sustained. 

Japan  tea-nibs  of  the  larger,  lumpier  kinds  are  frequently 
cut  up  by  machine  in  order  to  produce  a  leaf  of  smaller  size 
and  more  uniform  appearance.  Cut  Nibs  are  sometimes  mixed, 
in  this  country  and  in  China,  with  Ping-suey  Gunpowders, 
such  mixing  being  done  for  the  purpose  of  reducing  costs. 
This  practice,  although  it  cannot  be  classed  as  anything  short 
of  sophistication,  might  well  be  tolerated,  if  not  condoned, 
for  the  Japan  Nibs,  even  if  of  a  much  lesser  cost  than  tin- 
Gunpowder  with  which  they  are  mixed  and  used  to  cheapen, 
are,  at  least,  tea,  and,  as  such,  are  much  more  healthful  than 
the  bastard  Gunpowder  which  should  need  no  cheapening. 

FANNINGS,  SIFTINGS,  AND  DUSTS  are  taken  by  the  aid 
of  a  series  of  sieves  from  all  kinds  and  grades  of  Japan 
teas.  Fannings  are  the  larger  pieces  of  leaf  broken  off  from 
whole  leaves  during  the  process  of  firing  and  rolling,  and,  in 
cup  quality,  if  allowed  to  remain  unmixed  with  the  fan- 
nings  of  lower  grade  teas,  are,  naturally,  equal  to  the 
teas  from  which  they  are  obtained.  Siftings  are  of  me- 
dium coarseness,  and  Dusts  are  the  smallest  particles  of 
broken  tea-leaf  so  obtained. 

At  the  go-downs  these  broken  leaf  teas  are  separated  into 
lots,  according  to  their  several  sizes  of  leaf,  at  the  time  that 
they  are  obtained  from  the  various  firings.  The  Siftings  ob- 
tained from  an  individual  firing,  unless  it  be  of  an  exception- 


TEA   FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  135 

ally  large  lot  of  tea,  are  not  sufficiently  great  in  quantity,  how- 
ever, to  pack  up  into  a  merchantable  number  of  chests,  hence, 
in  order  to  produce  a  fairly  large  line  or  number  of  chests,  a 
collection  of  Siftings  is  made  from  many  firings,  and  mixed 
to  give  a  stated  quantity.  Fannings  and  Dusts  are  treated  in 
a  similar  manner,  and  are  kept  separate  according  to  size  of 
leaf.  Care,  however,  is  taken  to  prevent  the  mixture  of  first 
crop  broken  leaf  tea  with  that  of  second  crop,  and  the  Fan- 
nings, Siftings  and  Dusts  from  the  different  makes  of  leaf  are 
also  kept  and  packed  separately.  Thus  we  have  Pan-fired, 
Sun-dried  and  Basket-fired  Fannings,  Siftings  and  Dusts; 
and  of  these  three  kinds  of  broken  leaf  teas  we  have  first  crops, 
second  crops  and,  sometimes,  third  crops. 

In  the  case  of  importers  placing  orders  with  Japan  manu- 
facturers for  various  kinds  of  teas,  and  various  gradings  of 
each  kind,  the  broken  leaf  of  such  orders  is  the  property  of 
the  importer,  inasmuch  as  its  cost  is  figured  in  and  added  to 
the  cost  of  the  whole  leaf  teas -from  which  it  is  obtained.  In 
such  a  case  the  collective  broken  leaf  of  the  several  firings  is 
separated  according  to  size  of  leaf,  kind,  and  crop,  and  i? 
boxed  for  shipment  to  the  owner. 

The  loss  in  weight  occasioned  by  the  taking  out  of  Nibs, 
Fannings,  Siftings  and  Dusts  is  much  greater  in  the  cases  of 
the  Sun-dried  and  Pan-fired  kinds  than  it  is  in  the  case  of 
Basket-fireds.  This  heavier  loss  is  caused  by  the  greater  break- 
age of  leaf  in  the  two  former  methods  of  preparation.  In  a 
cup  test  of  Pan-fired,  Sun-dried  and  Basket-fired  Japans 
it  will  be  noticed  that  the  leaves  of  the  two  Pan-fired  sorts 
are  more  broken  than  those  of  an  average  Basket-fired  tea. 
While  this  greater  breakage  of  leaf  does  no  material  damage 
to  the  drinking  qualities  of  a  tea — provided,  of  course,  that 
the  accruing  siftings  and  dusts  are  removed — it  naturally 
creates  a  heavier  proportion  of  Siftings  and  Dust,  and  adds 
to  the  cost  of  preparation. 


136  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

The  following  estimate  of  loss  in  weight  by  firing  and 
sifting  will  give  an  idea  of  the  shrinkage  occasioned  by  the 
several  processes  of  manufacture;  the  estimate  on  Pan-firing 
covering  both  the  Pan-fired  and  Sun-dried  sorts : 

GREEN  LEAF. 

From  100  Ibs.  of  green  leaf  the  natives  obtain  an  average 
40  Ibs.  of  native-fired  leaf. 

BASKET-FIRING. 

In  basket-firing,  native-leaf  loses  about  7  per  cent,  in 
weight. 

In  basket-firing,  native-leaf  loses  from  3  per  cent,  to  7 
per  cent,  in  Nibs,  Sif  tings,  and  Dust. 

PAN-FIRING. 

In  pan-firing,  native-leaf  loses  about  7  per  cent,  in  weight. 
In  pan-firing,  native-leaf  loses  from  12  per  cent,  to  17 
per  cent,  in  Nibs,  Siftings  and  Dusts. 

From  the  above  estimate  of  shrinkage  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  loss  by  breakage  is  about  10  per  cent,  greater  in  the  case  of 
Pan-fired  teas;  a  loss  which  is  overcome,  however,  by  the 
greater  value  that  the  leaf  possesses  made  up  as  a  Pan-fired ; 
a  value  that  could  not  be  obtained  were  the  leaf  made  into  a 
Basket-fired  tea.  Adaptability  of  leaf  entirely  governs  the 
choice  of  process  of  manufacture,  and  is  of  such  importance 
that,  as  against  it,  cost  of  manufacture  is  never  taken  into 
consideration.  While  all  native-leaf  teas  can  be  readily  made 
into  either  Pan-fired,  Sun-dried  or  Basket-fired,  the  style  and 
condition  of  the  leaf  makes  it  more  suitable  for  manufacture 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  137 

into  either  one  or  the  other  of  the  Japan  makes,  as  the  case 
may  be.  Leaf  that  is  better  suited  for  basket-firing  will,  by 
that  process,  make  up  into  a  tea  that  will  be  much  more  satis- 
factory and  valuable  as  a  Basket-fired,  than  if  made  into  one 
of  the  Pan-fired  sorts,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  native-leaf  that 
is  more  suitable  for  pan-firing  will,  by  that  process,  make  up 
into  a  tea  that  will  prove  to  be  much  more  satisfactory  and 
valuable  as  one  of  the  Pan-fired  sorts,  notwithstanding  the 
greater  loss  by  breakage,  than  if  made  into  a  Bask'et-fired  tea. 

Considerations  of  this  nature  are  a  part  of  the  go-down 
owner's  business,  and,  in  his  choice  of  process,  he  is  governed 
entirely  by  the  adaptability  of  leaf,  and  his  purchases  from 
natives,  therefore,  are  controlled  by  the  kinds  or  makes  of  teas 
ordered  by  his  American  clients,  and  by  the  existing  American 
demand  for  the  kinds. 

During  the  years  that  a  ten  cents  per  pound  duty  was 
collected  on  all  teas  by  the  United  States  Government,  the 
importation  of  Siftings  and  Dusts  fell  off  considerably,  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  importers  were  unable  to  bring  such  goods 
over,  pay  the  duty  and  make  a  profit,  but,  now  that  the  duty 
has  been  removed,  broken-leaf  teas  are  likely  to  be  imported 
and  offered  as  freely  as  before.  The  lower  grades,  however, 
which,  in  former  years,  were  frequently  adulterated  with  the 
broken  leaves  and  dusts  of  other  plants,  can  no  longer  be 
imported,  because  of  the  strict  enforcement  of  the  United 
States  Tea  Act,  which  Act  prohibits  the  importation  of  tea-leaf 
below  a  certain  specified  standard  of  quality,  as  well  as  of  all 
adulterated  and  impure  teas. 

Within  the  last  few  years  many  native  Japanese  firms 
have  established  firing  go-downs  in  the  interior  tea-districts 
of  the  country,  and  are  firing  native-leaf,  for  American  and 
Canadian  markets,  after  the  Kobe  and  Yokohama  methods. 

Such  firms  are  well  represented  in  the  several  American 


138  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

and  Canadian  markets  and,  as  a  result,  their  manufactured 
teas  are  becoming  well  known.  The  teas  made  by  these  native 
firms  are  distinctive  as  compared  with  those  manufactured  at 
Kobe  and  Yokohama,  and,  by  many  importers,  are  preferred 
because  of  their  individual  cupping  qualities.  Such  teas  arc 
usually  known  as  "Country  teas,"  or  "Country  Japans"  in 
contradistinction  to  the  city  made  teas  of  Kobe  and  Yoko- 
hama. 

Country  Japans,  throughout  their  gradings,  have  been 
exceedingly  satisfactory  to  buyers,  so  far,  and,  although  they 
are  frequently  lacking  in  style  as  compared  with  Kobe  and 
Yokohama  teas,  their  excellent  and  characteristic  drinking 
qualities  have  gained  for  them  a  growing  reputation. 

The  success  achieved  by  British  tea-manufacturers  in  the 
matter  of  tea-preparing  machinery  has  warranted  many  pro- 
gressive go-down  owners  at  Kobe,  Yokohama  and  elsewhere 
in  Japan  to  attempt  similar  methods  of  manufacture,  and  p.t 
this  time  there  are  several  plants  that  are  manufacturing  teas 
by  machine.  In  most  cases,  however,  these  machines  are  a 
trifle  crude,  but,  it  is  believed  that  in  time,  machines  will  bo 
produced  which  will  do  most  of  the  work  that  is,  at  present, 
being  done  by  hand. 

LEAF  PREPARATION. 

INDIA-CEYLON. — The  commercial  teas  produced  by  the 
grower-manufacturers  of  India  and  Ceylon  are — or  rather, 
have  been  in  the  past — almost  entirely  made  into  the  fer- 
mented black  varieties. 

Some  teas  of  all  of  the  green  kinds,  in  imitation  of 
Chinese  and  Japanese  styles,  are  produced,  but,  so  far,  these 
have  not  ranked  with  those  they  are  intended  to  replace. 

For  some  years  past  the  Anglo-Indian  tea-manufacturers 
have  struggled  for  supremacy  in  the  American  market,  and 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  139 

have  spent  vast  sums  of  money  in  advertising  their  black 
sorts,  only  to  discover  that  Americans  are  not  to  be  easily 
weaned  from  their  taste  for  green  teas,  and  that  the  climate  of 
America  is  not  conducive  to  the  consumption  of  heavy  bodied 
beverages,  like  that  of  England.  At  the  present  time  the 
manufacturers  of  India,  and  particularly  of  Ceylon,  are  much 
exercised  over  the  production  of  green  teas  suitable  for  the 
American  market,  and,  in  view  of  their  past  success,  it  will 
not  be  astonishing  if  they  succeed  in  producing  an  India  and 
Ceylon  green  tea  that  will,  eventually,  sell  as  readily  as  the 
Chinese  and  Japanese  sorts  in  the  American  market. 

In  India  there  are  a  number  of  districts  which  produce 
and  manufacture  the  leaf,  each  of  which  gives  to  its  product 
the  name  by  which  it  is  known  to  the  trade.  Hence  we  have 
Assams,  CacUars,  Sylhets,  Darjeelings,  Kangras,  Dooars,  Trav- 
ancores  and  other  district  teas.  These  district  teas  are  again 
known  by  a  distinguishing  garden  or  estate  name,  and,  as  each 
estate  produces  distinctive  leaf,  the  name  of  the  garden  is 
given  to  its  production,  so  that  this  name  may  serve  as  a  trade- 
mark or  brand.  These  garden  names  or  brands  are  frequently 
of  local,  or  of  fanciful  Hindoo  origin,  although  many  compa- 
nies give  to  their  gardens  names  of  Anglo-Saxon  origin.  For 
instance,  it  might,  possibly,  happen  that  a  company  would  se- 
lect the  name  "Homewood"  to  designate  its  tea-estate.  This 
name  "Homewood"  would,  therefore,  be  adopted  by  the  own- 
ers of  the  estate  as  a  trade-mark  or  brand  for  the  production 
of  the  estate.  The  "Homewood"  gardens  might  be  situated 
in  the  Darjeeling  or  in  the  Sylhet  district,  and  the  "Home- 
wood"  teas  would,  therefore,  be  known  to  the  trade  as  Dar- 
jeelings or  Sylhets,  as  the  case  might  be,  but  the  garden  name, 
"Homewood,"  would  designate  the  exact  growth  and  manu- 
facture. 

In  Ceylon  the  estates  or  plantations  give  their  names  to 
their  product,  and  by  these  estate-names,  usually  names  of 


140  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

native  origin,  the  characteristic  qualities  of  the  various  pro- 
ductions are  known. 

India  and  Ceylon  teas  are  usually  classed  as  Flowery  Or- 
ange-Pekoes, Orange-Pekoes,  Pekoes  No.  1,  Broken  Orange- 
Pekoes,  Pekoes  No.  2,  Pekoe-Souchongs,  Souchongs,  Broken 
Pekoes,  Broken  Pekoe-Souchongs,  Fannings,  and  Dust,  and  all 
of  these  varieties  are  produced  from  the  three  leaves  and  end 
leaf-bud  which  are  plucked  at  one  and  the  same  time,  un- 
separated  from  the  stem  upon  which  they  grew. 

The  end  leaf-bud,  when  it  is  small  enough,  produces  the 
Flowery  Orange-Pekoe,  and  the  Orange-Pekoe  when  a  little 
larger.  The  next  larger  leaf  upon  the  stem  produces  the 
Pekoe  No.  1,  but,  if  it  is  exceptionally  small  and  "tippy"  after 
manufacture,  it  might  be  graded  as  Orange- Pekoe.  The  other 
two  leaves,  according  to  size,  after  having  been  broken  or  cut, 
produce  the  remainder  of  the  gradings  known  to  commerce. 
All  of  these  varieties,  from  Flowery  Orange- Pekoe  down  to  the 
lowest  grading,  go  through  the  manufacturing  process  at  the 
same  time,  in  fact,  the  leaves  are  not  separated  from  the  stem 
upon  which  they  grew  until  all  preparation  is  completed,  there- 
fore these  trade  names  or  gradings  do  not  designate  a  special 
method  of  preparation,  but  specify  the  size  or  age,  and,  there- 
fore, the  quality  of  the  leaf  only. 

All  districts  and  estates  produce  the  above  mentioned 
"makes,"  but  it  by  no  means  follows  that  the  quality  of  the 
specified  makes  of  the  different  districts,  or  estates  of  one 
district,  are  equal.  A  Pekoe  leaf  tea,  or  a  Souchong,  grown 
on  a  first  class  Assam  or  Darjeeling  estate  is  quite  likely  to 
be  superior  in  every  particular  to  the  same  gradings 
grown  on  an  estate  of  inferior  district,  and  is  very 
likely  to  be  superior  to  higher  gradings  of  other  districts.  Tho 
reason  for  this  is  that  some  districts  are  more  favored  by  na- 
ture in  the  matters  of  soil,  climate,  elevation,  etc. ;  hence  the 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  141 

superiority  of  their  products.  Cup-testing,  therefore,  is  th2 
one  and  only  way  to  determine  the  quality  of  an  India  or  Cey- 
lon grading. 

In  India,  during  the  earlier  days  of  tea-manufacture, 
Chinese  methods  of  hand-work  were  followed  in  all  stages  of 
the  manufacture,  but,  in  later  years,  various  power-machines 
have  been  invented  to  do  the  work  of  man,  although  no  mate- 
rial change  has  taken  place  in  the  actual  process  itself,  or  in 
its  result. 

The  leaves,  as  they  are  plucked,  are  brought  to  the  factory 
in  the  baskets,  and  are  carefully  examined  and  weighed  in; 
records  of  green  weights  being  kept  under  Anglo-Saxon  busi- 
ness-like methods. 

The  green  leaves  are  then  spread  out  thinly  on  jute  hes- 
sian  cloths — called  "withering-cloths"  or  "tea-tats" — to  with- 
er; a  process  intended  to  render  the  leaves  soft  and  pliable 
without  drying  them  up.  This  hessian-cloth  is  very  coarsely 
woven ;  its  individual  meshes  being  large  enough  to  permit  of 
the  passage  of  a  lead  pencil  without  stretching;  a  coarsenesr, 
of  mesh  which  allows  a  free  circulation  of  air ;  materially  aid- 
ing the  process  of  withering.  On  some  estates  trays  and 
shelves  are  used  for  the  purpose  and  withering  is  assisted  by 
the  application  of  blasts  of  hot  dry-air. 

The  time  occupied  in  the  withering  process — which  is 
intended  to  render  the  leaves  fit  for  the  rolling  machine — de- 
pends upon  the  state  of  the  weather,  but,  without  the  aid  of 
artificial  means,  leaves  spread  out  to  wither  one  day  may  be 
thoroughly  withered  the  following  day.  The  process  demands 
great  care  and  watchfulness  in  order  that  the  withering  may 
not  proceed  too  far,  and,  for  this  reason,  experienced  and  skil- 
ful operators  are  employed.  At  the  exact  moment  the  leave?, 
are  removed  from  the  withering  cloths  or  trays — which  are 
usually  situated  on  the  top  floor  of  the  factory — and,  after 
being  placed  in  a  drying  room  for  a  time,  in  order  to  evapor- 


142  TEA  HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

ate  any  remaining  external  moisture,  are  brought  down  to  the 
bottom  floor,  where  they  are  put  into  the  rolling-machine — a 
silently-working,  ingenious  and  effective  piece  of  machinery 
driven  by  power. 

For  upwards  of  an  hour  the  leaves  are  gently  pressed  and 
rolled  by  this  machine,  which  action  breaks  open  the  sap-cells 
and  bruises  the  stems;  spreading  the  natural  oily  contents  of 
both  over  the  surface  of  the  leaves ;  thus  rendering  the  essential 
oils  the  more  easily  extractable  by  hot  water  at  the  time  of 
infusion,  for  these  oils  are  subsequently  fixed  upon  the  surface 
of  th,e  leaves  by  the  firing  process.  During  the  rolling  the 
leaves  assume  a  twist  or  curl  which  is,  of  course,  intended  in 
order  to  produce  the  style  or  make. 

When  the  rolling  process  is  completed,  the  batch  of 
bruised  leaves — "the  roll,"  as  it  is  called  in  manufacturing 
parlance — is  taken  from  the  machine  in  a  wet  and  very  slimy 
condition,  and  presents  a  mass  thoroughly  saturated  by  the 
liberated  juices  of  the  leaves  and  stems;  for  the  latter,  being 
quite  as  young  and  tender  as  the  leaves,  are  filled  with  sap, 
which  they  contribute  to  the  whole. 

The  rolling  process  is  a  very  important  one,  for  upon  the 
outcome  depends  the  quality  of  the  made  tea.  The  process 
serves  the  same  purpose  as  the  more  primitive  one  of  the 
Chinese  manufacturers ;  that  of  pressing  the  leaves  in  a  wooden 
trough. 

The  "roll"  is  then  ready  for  fermentation  or  oxidation. 
For  this  purpose  the  damp  leaves  are  placed  in  layers  of  from 
three  to  four  inches  deep  upon  trays,  and  covered  with  damp 
cloths.  In  this  state  oxidation  sets  in  very  quickly,  the  chemi- 
cal change  being  aided  by  the  moist  condition  of  the  leaves,  a* 
well  as  by  the  dampness  of  the  covering  cloths.  The  success 
of  this  operation  is  not  entirely  within  the  control  of  the  oper- 
ator, but  depends,  in  quite  a  measure,  upon  the  condition  of 


TEA  FROM  LEAF  TO  CUP.  143 

the  atmosphere,  and,  according  to  the  damp  or  dry  condition 
of  the  latter,  takes  from  one  to  five  hours. 

Oxidation  changes  the  natural  green  color  of  the  leaves 
to  a  copper  color,  and  much  depends  upon  the  success  of  the 
process,  as  in  the  case  of  China  black  teas,  for  not  only  is  a 
good  color  dependent  upon  the  operation,  but  the  subsequent 
flavor  and  aroma  of  the  manufactured  tea  depends  upon  its 
success  also. 

The  next  operation  is  that  of  "firing;"  a  process  which 
appears  to  be  done  differently,  or  rather,  by  the  aid  of  differ- 
ently constructed  machines  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 
It  would  appear  that,  of  the  various  applications  of  the  same 
system,  the  one  using  hot-air  blasts  is  the  most  popular.  By 
this  system  firing  is  attained  by  placing  the  leaves  upon  trays 
of  wire  net-work,  and  subjecting  them  to  a  gradual  action  of 
hot-air  blasts  of  a  high  temperature,  which  has  the  effect  of 
drying  them  thoroughly  in  from  twenty  minutes  to  half  an 
hour,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they  are  crisp  and  firm  and 
ready  to  be  separated  from  the  stem  into  the  several  gradings 
as  specified. 

The  separating  of  the  varieties  or  gradings  is  also  done  by 
machine,  the  leaves  being  broken  apart  from  the  stem  by  it; 
and  then,  by  the  aid  of  a  series  of  graduated  sieves,  are  sepa- 
rated according  to  size.  Leaves  that  are  too  large  to  pass 
through  the  sieves  are  automatically  dropped  into  a  cutting 
or  "breaking  machine,"  by  which  they  are  reduced  to  the  regu- 
lation size. 

Tannings  and  Dusts  are  separated  with  the  leaves,  and 
at  the  same  time;  and,  coming  from  all  the  gradings  of  the 
leaf,  can  have  no  especial  grading. 

The  teas  are  then  "bulked,"  that  is,  put  into  extremely 
large  air-tight  chests,  there  to  remain  until  the  "break"  or  chop 
is  completed. 

Before  re-chesting — that  is  packing  into  merchantable 


144  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

chests  and  half-chests — the  teas  are  again  slightly  fired  in 
order  to  evaporate  any  moisture,  or  any  suspicion  of  moisture, 
that  may  have  gathered  upon  the  leaves ;  and  then,  while  still 
warm,  they  are  securely  packed  by  the  packing  machine  into 
lead-lined  wooden  boxes  or  chests;  the  lead  lining  being  care- 
fully soldered  in  order  to  exclude  the  air.  The  chests  are  then 
stencilled  with  the  grade,  estate  brand,  weight,  etc.,  and  aro 
ready  for  shipment  abroad. 

In  later  years  most  of  the  factories  have  adopted  the  use 
of  metal  chests  with  wood  covers,  and,  in  these,  no  lead  lining 
is  necessary. 

INDIAN-CEYLOX  TEA  CLASSIFICATION. 

In  the  British  tea-manufacturing  countries  the  manufac- 
turers recognize  two  distinctive  classes  of  teas,  which,  includ- 
ing all  teas  under  the  heading  of  one  or  the  other  of  these 
classes,  are  known  to  them  as  "Unbroken"  and  "Broken"  teas ; 
and  these  terms,  as  the  words  imply,  distinguish  the  unbroken, 
or  small  leaf  teas,  from  those  kinds  which,  on  account  of  their 
larger  size  of  leaf,  have  to  be  submitted  to  a  cutting  or  "break- 
ing machine,"  as  it  is  called,  in  order  that  the  leaves  may  be 
reduced,  by  cutting,  to  a  smaller  and,  at  the  same  time,  more 
uniform  size. 

The  unbroken  sorts  are  known  as  Flowery  Orange-Pekoe., 
Orange-Pekoe,  and  Pekoe  No.  1. 

The  broken  leaf  teas  are  known  as  Broken  Orange-Pekoe. 
Pekoe  No.  2f  Pekoe- Souchong,  Souchong,  Broken  Pekoe, 
Broken  Pekoe- Souchong,  Fannings,  and  Dust. 

It  is  usual  with  the  trade  in  India  as  well  as  in  England 
and  the  United  States  to  abbreviate  these  long  names  by  mak- 
ing use  of  the  initial  letters  of  the  words.  For  instance,  the 


WHERE  TO  BUY  TEAS.  145 

letters  0.  P.  stand  for  "Orange-Pekoe;"  B.  0.  P.  for  "Broken 
Orange-Pekoe;"  P.  S.  for  "Pekoe- Souchong/'  and  B.  P.  S. 
for  "Broken  Pekoe- Souchong/7  etc. 

A  process  of  sieving,  after  manufacture,  separates  the 
sorts.  A  series  of  sieves  of  different  sized  meshes  is  used, 
the  smaller  leaf  passing  through  the  series,  grading  the  un- 
broken teas  according  to  size  and,  therefore,  age,  and  return- 
ing the  different  gradings  of  unbroken  teas  as  specified  above. 
The  top  sieve  retains  all  leaf  too  large  for  commercial  pur- 
poses, and  it  is,  therefore,  gathered  up  and  put  through  the 
breaking  machine,  after  which  it  is  passed  automatically  to* 
another  series  of  sieves  which  separates  it  into  leaf  of  different 
sizes,  and  known  as  the  above  mentioned  sorts  of  broken  teas. 
In  breaking  teas  a  considerable  quantity  of  fannings  and  dust 
is  made,  which,  however,  finds  a  market. 

The  grading  of  both  unbroken  and  broken  teas  is  entirely 
optional  with  the  factory  producing  them,  for  there  is  no 
trade-law  governing  the  grading  of  British-made  teas.  Leaf 
that  one  factory  might  consider  good  enough  to  grade  a? 
Orange-Pekoe,  another  might  deem  fit  only  to  be  graded  ns 
Pekoe  No.  1;  and  the  Flowery  Orange-Pekoe  of  one  estate 
might  be  graded  as  Orange-Pekoe  by  another.  In  broken  teas 
the  Broken  Orange- Pekoe  turned  out  by  one  factory  might  be 
classed  by  another  as  fit  only  to  be  graded  as  Pekoe- Souchong, 
so  that,  in  the  purchase  of  teas  of  British  manufacture,  the 
buyer  must  be  guided  by  style  and  cup  qualities,  and  not  by 
the  gradings  stencilled  upon  the  cases. 

FLOWERY  ORANGE-PEKOE — F.  0.  P.  is  obtained  from  the 
very  youngest  end  leaf-buds  of  the  shoot  if  small  and  silver}7 
enough  to  grade  as  such;  many  of  the  tiny  bud-leaves  that 
spring  out  singly  upon  each  shoot  entering  into  its  composi- 
tion. It  is  the  highest  grading  of  India  teas.  The  word 
"Flowery"  is  added  to  that  of  Orange-Pekoe  to  distinguish  it, 


146  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

commercially,  from  the  grading  next  below  it,  and  not-  because 
it  is  made  from  the  flowers  or  blossoms  of  the  tea-plant,  which 
are  never  used  for  tea.  It  has  a  silvery  appearance,  and  i? 
sometimes  known  as  "Silver-tip,"  the  white  hairs  that  grow 
upon  the  bud-leaves  producing  this  effect  after  manufacture. 
In  Ceylon  the  manufacturers  prefer  the  name  "Silver-tip"  to 
that  of  "Flowery  Orange-Pekoe." 

ORANGE-PEKOE. — 0.  P.  is  so  called  because  of  the  small 
orange-colored  tips — frequently  called  "golden-tips" — that 
decorate  the  ends  of  many  of  the  leaves.  The  leaf  is  usually  wi-U 
made  or  curled,  and,  therefore,  quite  stylish.  Orange-Pekoes 
are  made  from  the  second  youngest  leaf  on  the  shoot,  proviilr.l 
that  the  first  youngest  is  small  and  silvery  enough  to  furnish 
F.  0.  P. ;  if  not,  these  youngest  leaves  are  made  into  0.  P., 
and,  in  such  a  case,  the  0.  P.  is  the  first  grading  of  the  "break" 
or  chop.  The  quality  of  Orange-Pekoe  teas,  like  that  of  other 
Indians  and  Ceylons,  is  dependent  upon  the  district  and  gar- 
den of  growth,  as  well  as  upon  the  care  that  is  exercised  in  IN 
manufacture.  The  leaf  is  black,  or  grayish-black  in  color,  often- 
times quite  silky  in  appearance,  the  golden  tips,  contrasting 
favorably  with  the  black  leaf,  giving  the  whole  an  exceed- 
ingly handsome  appearance.  Some  Orange-Pekoes  are  imu-h 
more  "tippy"  than  others,  those  having  the  greater  quantity  of 
tips  being  classed  higher  in  cost  on  account  of  the  better  stylo 
the  tips  impart. 

PEKOE  TEA  is,  presumably,  so  called  for  want  of  a  better 
name,  for  it  cannot  be  said  that  it  resembles  the  Pekoe  tea  of 
China.  In  its  composition  there  is  usually  a  small  proportion 
of  yellow  tips — called  "Pekoe  tips" — which  fact  is  responsible 
for  its  name. 

Pekoe  tea  is  made  from  the  second  leaf  on  the  shoot  a« 
plucked,  or  from  the  third  if  there  happens  to  be  a  sufficiency 


TEA    FROM    LEAF    TO    CUP.  147 

of  end  leaf-buds  to  make  a  Flowery  0.  P.  grading,  and  is, 
therefore,  the  second  or  third  youngest  leaf  as  the  case  may  be. 

Unbroken  Pekoe  is  usually  classed  as  "Pekoe  JSTo.  1"  to 
distinguish  it  from  that  known  as  "Pekoe  No.  2,"  a  leaf  of 
similar  appearance  made  by  the  grading  of  broken  leaf. 

The  difference  in  age  of  leaf  between  Pekoe  N"o.  1  teas 
and  those  called  Orange- Pekoes  is  but  a  day  or  two — Indian 
and  Ceylon  pluckings  being  made  once  a  week — so  that  the 
difference,  as  far  as  drinking  quality  is  concerned,  between 
Orange- Pekoe  and  Pekoe,  when  made  at  the  same  time,  is 
not  very  great,  the  superior  style  of  the  former  caused  by  its 
more  abundant  pekoe-tips,  creating  much  of  the  difference  in 
cost,  and  it  frequently  happens  that  a  Pekoe  tea  will  cup 
equally  as  well  as  its  Orange  Pekoe. 

In  style  Pekoe  teas  are  usually  good,  the  leaves  being 
black  or  grayish-black,  well  made  and  regular  in  twist.  The 
kind  resembles  some  varieties  of  China  Congous  more  than 
any  other  tea. 

SOUCHONG  TEAS,  like  Pekoes,  are,  presumably,  so  called 
for  want  of  a  better  name,  or  it  may  be  that  the  name  was 
first  applied  to  the  grade  in  a  spirit  of  humorous  contrariety, 
for  the  Chinese  meaning  of  the  word  "Souchong"  is  "little 
sort,"  because  the  supply  is  not  great;  whereas  the  supply  of 
India  and  Ceylon  Souchong  teas  is  greater  than  that  of  most 
of  the  other  gradings.  Souchong  teas  are  made  from  the  third 
and  fourth  leaves  of  the  shoot,  which  are  altogether  too  large 
for  use  as  commercial  tea,  so  that  cutting  or  breaking  becomes 
necessary  to  reduce  the  size  and  render  the  leaves  more  uni- 
form. This  process  creates  a  good  appearing  leaf,  and,  al- 
though not  so  well  curled  as  the  leaves  of  the  0.  P.  and  Pekoe 
gradings,  on  account  of  greater  age  and  lesser  pliancy  to 
take  the  twist,  it  is  fairly  stylish,  and,  in  some  markets,  is  in 


148  TEA   HINTS   FOR   RETAILERS. 

good  demand.     The  leaf  is  usually  dark  in  color,  having,  in 
some  cases,  a  slight  reddish  tinge,  without  pekoe-tips. 

The  remaining  gradings,  all  broken  teas,  are  made  after 
the  leaves  have  been  cut  and  sifted;  the  appearance  and  cup- 
ping qualities  of  the  broken  leaf,  as  caught  by  the  different- 
sized  meshes  of  the  sieves,  going  far  to  determine  by  what 
name  the  tea  shall  be  branded. 

BROKEN  ORANGE-PEKOE. — B.  0.  P.  may  show  quite  a 
sprinkling  of  tips,  or  may  be  without  them.  The  grading  is, 
more  frequently,  obtained  from  the  younger  cut  leaves,  al- 
though, on  the  other  hand,  it  may  be  made  from  leaves  of 
coarser  quality.  B.  0.  P.  is  very  useful  for  blending. 

PEKOE-SOUCHONG. — P.  S.  looks  like  a  Pekoe,  but  shows 
no  golden  tips,  at  least  some  gardens  grade  such  a  leaf  by  the 
term.  In  reality  it  is  composed  of  both  Pekoe  and  Souchong 
leaves,  as  its  name  implies,  which  have  been  caught  by  tho 
same  sieve  after  breaking.  In  such  a  case  it  may  show  a  few 
Pekoe  tips.  Some  estates  would  grade  such  a  leaf  as  Prbv 
No.  2. 

BROKEN  PEKOE — B.  P.,  and  BROKEN  PEKOE-SOUCH<> 
B.  P.  S.  are  leaves  of  very  broken  appearance,  too  much  so  to 
grade  them  as  Pekoe  or  Pekoe-Souchong.     The  appearance  of 
the  broken  leaves,  as  it  approaches  that  of  the  grading  it  re- 
sembles, is  responsible  for  the  gradings. 

FANNINGS  AND  DUST  are  obtained  during  the  breaking 
and  are,  therefore,  taken  from  all  grades  of  the  leaf  by 
screening. 

Many  India  and  Ceylon  estates  class  a  Congou  grade 
among  the  others.  When  used,  this  grading  comes  in  under 


PICKING    TEA    LEAVES    IN    CEYLON. 


TEA  FROM   LEAF  TO   CUP.  149 

the  broken  tea  heading,  and,  in  appearance,  is  between  a  Sou- 
chong and  a  Pekoe  Xo.  2  grading,  resembling  the  former  more 
than  the  latter.  It  is  a  useful  leaf  in  the  English  market 
where  so  much  blending  is  done,  giving  a  cheap  base,  and 
one  that  is  not  too  characteristic,  for  many  of  the  less  costly 
blends. 

The  drinking  qualities  of  India  and  Ceylon  teas  vary  con- 
siderably, the  conditions  of  soil,  climate,  water  supply,  eleva- 
tion, etc.,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  season  of  plucking,  on  the 
other,  having  much  to  do  with  the  intrinsic  qualities  of  the 
product. 

The  various  gradings,  as  enumerated,  are  manufactured 
in  all  of  the  tea-districts,  and  upon  all  of  the  estates,  but  these 
gradings,  being  made  from  the  leaves  of  different  species  of 
the  plant — in  some  cases  from  the  native  plant ;  in  others  from 
the  Chinese;  and  yet  in  others  from  the  Hybrid — as  well  as 
being  made  from  the  leaves  of  plants  subject  to  the  better  or 
to  the  poorer  climatic  influences  of  the  several  widely  separated 
districts,  can  hardly  be  expected,  under  the  circumstances,  to 
conform  to  one  universal  standard  of  quality  in  the  gradings. 
"First  flush"  or  Spring  leaf  teas  in  both  India  and  Ceylon,  as 
already  stated,  are  almost  invariably  inferior  to  the  pluckings 
of  the  Autumn  months,  so  that  in  a  comparison  of  Indian 
gradings,  style  should  not  be  allowed  to  influence  the  judg- 
ment, and  the  cupping  test  be  resorted  to  in  order  to  arrive  at 
a  satisfactory  determination  of  quality  or  value. 

LEAF  PREPARATION. 

UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA — In  so  far  as  the  manufac- 
ture of  American  tea  is  concerned,  the  methods  employed  are, 
in  a  measure,  similar  to  those  in  use  in  the  several  British  tea- 
countries. 


150  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

The  invention  of  machinery  to  do  the  work  of  manipula- 
tion, which  is  done  by  hand  in  China  and  Japan,  was  the  nat- 
ural outcome  of  British  up-to-date  labor-saving  methods,  but, 
although  much  may  be  said  in  its  favor,  it  has  yet  to  be  dem- 
onstrated that  a  machine  can  produce  teas  equal  to  the  time- 
honored,  high-grade  hand-made  leaf  of  China  and  Japan. 
The  system  has  enormous  advantages,  however,  advantages, 
in  the  way  of  the  production  of  uniform  leaf  at  a  minimum 
labor-cost,  which  tea-manufacturing  nations  cannot  afford  to 
overlook,  and  it  is  but  natural  that  American  manufacturers 
should  apply  their  genius  in  this  direction,  for  without  the  aid 
of  machinery  American  tea  would  be  an  utter  impossibility. 
Machinery,  therefore,  is  used  in  all  stages  of  the  manufacture 
at  Pinehurst,  and,  although  the  several  machines  have  been 
patterned  after  those  of  British  make,  many  improvements 
have  been  invented  which  have,  already,  demonstrated  their 
greater  practicability. 

GREEN  TEA — Leaf  intended  to  be  made  into  green  tea  is 
selected  according  to  season  or  time  of  year.  In  the  Spring 
green  tea  may  be  made  from  the  leaves  of  any  of  the  numerous 
varieties  of  the  plant,  but,  as  the  season  advances,  leaf  is 
chosen,  for  the  purpose,  from  Darjeeling,  (Indian)  Chinese, 
and  Japanese  plants,  for  it  has  been  discovered  that  the  leaves 
of  these  varieties,  being  smaller,  thicker,  and  less  quick  to 
oxidize,  furnish  the  most  desirable  leaf  for  green  tea.  The 
leaves  of  other  varieties  are  subject,  during  the  Summer  and 
Autumn  months,  to  a  much  more  rapid  oxidation,  or  fermen- 
tation, a  natural  chemical  reaction,  brought  about,  mainly,  by 
heat,  which  darkens  the  leaf  and  renders  it  unfit  for  manufac- 
ture into  green  tea. 

It  is  much  more  expensive  and  difficult  to  manufacture 
leaf  into  green  tea  than  into  black.  In  the  manufacture  of 
the  former  kind  there  is  a  greater  percentage  of  waste,  caused, 


TEA  FROM   LEAF   TO   CUP.  151 

chiefly,  by  discoloration,  (oxidation)  for,  were  these  more-or- 
less  oxidised  leaves  allowed  to  pass  inspection,  the  manufac- 
tured tea,  showing  the  discolored  leaves,  would  be  considered 
inferior.  Great  care,  in  all  stages  of  the  manufacture,  is  abso- 
lutely essential  in  order  to-  produce  a  finished  green  tea.  The 
slightest  slip  in  any  one  of  the  several  operations  attending  the 
manufacture  is  quite  likely  to  spoil  the  delicate  flavor  and  ren- 
der the  entire  batch  subject  to  a  lower  grading  and  valuation, 
if  not  to  final  rejection,  so,  for  this  reason,  experienced  labor 
is  employed  and  careful  supervision  exercised. 

Great  care  has,  also,  to  be  exercised  in  plucking  leaves 
intended  for  manufacture  into  green  tea,  for  the  slightest 
bruising  of  a  leaf,  during  picking,  causes  instant  fermentation 
to  set  in,  rendering  it  unfit  for  the  purpose  owing  to  the  con- 
sequent discoloration. 

Manufacture  begins  as  quickly  as  possible  after  the  leaves 
have  been  brought  in  from  the  gardens.  The  first  process  is, 
at  once,  intended  to  kill  the  enzymes,  (a  natural  ferment  con- 
tained in  the  cells  of  the  leaves  and  stems)  and  so  prevent 
oxidation,  and  to  get  the  leaves  into  a  condition  to  roll.  In 
China  and  Japan  this  is  done  by  roasting  the  leaves  in  open 
pans  over  a  slow  fire,  and  in  British  tea-countries  the  same 
result  is  attained  by  means  of  mechanical  contrivances  using 
live  steam.  At  Pinehurst  hot-air  drying  machines  are  now 
used  for  the  purpose,  it*  having  been  discovered,  during  the 
investigations,  that  such  a  method  is  superior  to  that  in  use 
in  Oriental  tea-countries. 

The  hot-air  machine,  in  addition  to  killing  the  natural 
ferments — enzymes — thoroughly  dries  the  leaves  by  evaporat- 
ing all  superficial  moisture,  at  the  same  time  rendering  them 
soft  and  pliable  and  fit  to  take  the  twist  or  roll  which  the  suc- 
ceeding process  gives  to  them.  From  the  hot-air  machine  the 
pliable  leaves  are  taken  to  the  rolling  machine  in  which  they 
are  first  subjected  to  a  pressure  just  great  enough  to  break  the 


152  TEA   HINTS   FO±t   RETAILERS. 

sap-cells  and  spread  the  contents — chiefly  essential  oils  and 
theine — over  the  surface  of  the  leaf  so  that  these  may  be  the 
more  soluble  in  boiling  water  at  the  time  of  infusion.  Then, 
by  a  process  of  alternate  rolling — which  forces  the  leaves  to 
assume  their  required  twist  or  curl — and*  drying — which  is  in- 
tended to  fix  the  cell-contents  and  prevent  their  loss — the  tea 
is  gotten  into  a  condition  for  "firing." 

In  the  "firing"  process  the  twisted  leaves  are  placed  in 
frames,  made  for  the  purpose,  through  which  blasts  of  hot 
air,  starting  at  a  temperature  of  210°  F.,  are  passed,  the  tem- 
perature being  gradually  decreased.  This  process  takes  sev- 
eral hours,  and  results  in  a  "toast"  sufficiently  great  to  pre- 
serve the  manufactured  tea  for  an  indefinite  period.  The  fin- 
ished tea  is  then  weighed,  packed  immediately  into  one-pound 
and  half-pound  cans,  and  boxed  for  shipment. 

American  tea,  during  the  rolling  process,  docs  not  ren-i\v 
the  amount  of  labor  which  is  expended  upon  teas  in  Oriental 
countries.  The  result  is  that  the  twist  or  style  of  the  leaf, 
which  it  receives  during  the  process,  is  not  nearly  so  good  as 
that  of  most  Eastern  made  teas.  Stylish  teas  could  be  as  eas- 
ily made  at  Pinehurst  as  elsewhere,  but  practical  experience  in 
the  manufacture,  and  a  greater  scientific  knowledge,  has 
proven  that  to  twist  or  roll  the  leaves  unduty,  in  order  to  pro- 
duce style,  results  in  great  loss  of  flavor,  and,  for  this  reason 
alone,  stylishly  made  teas  have,  so  far,  been  eschewed  by  the 
first  American  manufacturer. 

In  the  manufacture  of  green  tea  at  Pinehurst  no  attempt 
has  been  made  to  imitate  the  round  or  straight  makes  of  Ori- 
ental countries,  although  the  green  tea  produced  resembles  the 
straight  Young  Hyson  leaf  of  China  more  than  any  other.  It 
is  different,  however,  in  style  of  make  and  in  color,  to  any  otht-r 
tea,  and  it  is,  apparently,  the  intention  to  produce  an  article 
that  may  be  recognized  the  world  over  as  an  entirely  new 
make — a  distinctive,  uncolored  "American  Tea." 


TEA  FROM  LEAF  TO  CUP.  153 

BLACK  TEA — Leaf  intended  to  be  made  into  black  tea  has 
first  to  be  wilted  or  "withered."  The  leaves,  as  brought  in 
from  the  gardens,  are  taken  to  the  withering  loft  and  are 
there  spread  out  upon  trays  made  for  the  purpose,  and  allowed 
to  remain  exposed  therein  for  a  period  of  from  six  to  fifteen 
hours,  according  to  the  condition  of  the  weather.  Every 
pound  of  made  (black)  tea  represents  over  forty  square  feet 
of  withering  space,  so  that  in  order  to  economize  room,  and 
accommodate  larger  quantities  of  the  leaf,  the  fixed  trays  are 
supplemented  by  a  series  of  traveling  trays  of  cloth,  worked  by 
a  running  gear.  In  these  trays  the  leaf  is  exposed  to  hot-air 
which  ascends  from  tea-driers  below  until  it  is  completely  with- 
ered and  fit  for  the  next  process,  that  of  rolling. 

The  rolling  machine,  as  in  the  case  of  green  tea,  bruises 
the  sap-cells,  spreads  the  contents  over  the  surface  of  the 
leaves,  and  gives  the  desired  twist  or  curl.  Green  tea  is  dried 
immediately  after  rolling  to  prevent  discoloration  by  oxida- 
tion. Black  tea  is  taken  from  the  rolling  machine  in  a  wet, 
sticky  condition,  due  to  the  expression  of  the  leaf-juices,  and, 
without  being  dried,  the  "roll" — as  the  moist  batch  of  leaves  is 
called — is  broken  up,  spread  apart  upon  tables,  and  as  much 
as  possible  of  objectionable  leaf  removed.  Still  wet  and  sticky 
—for  dried  leaves  would  not  oxidize  so  quickly  or  so  well — the 
leaves  are  then  spread  out  on  clean  tray-frames  of  cloth  in 
order  to  expose  them  to  the  oxidizing  action  of  the  air,  and 
they  remain  in  this  condition  until  sufficiently  oxidized  and 
the  resulting  black  color  is  thoroughly  established.  The 
length  of  time  occupied  by  the  oxidizing  process  is  regulated 
by  the  condition  of  the  weather  and  by  the  kind  of  "body" 
required.  Light  or  heavy  bodied  black  teas  are  made  so  at 
the  will  of  the  operator  during  the  oxidizing  process. 

The  batch  of  leaves  is  then  put  through  the  drying  ma- 
chine, and,  in  about  twenty  minutes,  is  thoroughly  "fired." 
During  the  drying,  or  "firing,"  process  the  leaves  are  turned 


154  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

over  several  times,  at  the  same  time  being  subjected  to  a  tem- 
perature of  about  230°  F. 

A  system  of  screening  and  fanning  then  separates  the 
leaves  into  the  different  sizes  and  removes  the  greater  part  of 
the  stems  and  objectionable  leaf,  but,  before  final  packing, 
hand-sorting  is  resorted  to  in  order  to  remove  anything  ol>jV<-- 
tionable  that  the  screens  and  fans  have  failed  to  take  out. 

The  finished  tea  is  then  packed  into  large  air-tight  cans 
and  allowed  to  "season."  Seasoning  rids  tlu>  tea  of  any 
"herbiness."  Before  final  packing  into  air-tight  one-pound 
and  half-pound  cans,  the  teas  are  heated  for  several  hou 
a  temperature  of  about  150°  F.  This  removes  any  moisture 
that  the  leaf  may  possibly  have  gathered  since  firing,  and  de- 
velops a  further  fragrance. 

Pinehurst  teas  are  invariably  packed  in  pound  and  half- 
pound  cans,  for  it  is  claimed  that  in  order  to  retain  their  full 
value  and  fragrance  they  should  be  so  kept  until  used. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE  TEA  MARTS-  OF  THE  ORIENT. 

In  another  chapter  it  has  been  shown  that  the  commercial 
tea-leaf  is  prepared  in  the  different  growing  countries  in  a 
manner  which  is,  in  cases,  extremely  crude  and  laborious,  in 
others,  scientific  and  labor-saving,  and  that  these  several  meth- 
ods of  preparation,  and  the  results  of  these  methods  are,  to 
all  intents  and  purposes,  the  same. 

The  object  of  all  growers  and  manufacturers  is,  at  once, 
to  produce  a  commercial  leaf,  and  to  put  it  into  such  a  condi- 
tion that  it  will  retain  its  intrinsic  qualities  from  one  season 
to  the  other,  and  enable  that  destined  for  a  foreign  market  to 
withstand  the  exigencies  of  an  ocean  voyage. 

After  these  objects  have  been  accomplished,  the  methods 
employed  by  the  different  peoples  in  getting  their  product  to 
market,  and  selling  it  to  foreign  buyers,  are  as  diversified  as 
the  peoples  are  themselves. 

CHINA — In  China,  owing  to  the  enormous  stretch  of 
country  covered  by  the  tea-growing  districts,  and  to  the  ex- 
treme crudeness  of  the  methods  of  transportation,  the  tea-trade 
is  conducted  under  a  system  which  is  peculiar  to  the  conditions 
existing ;  and  foreign  buyers  of  the  leaf  are  compelled  to  adapt 
themselves  to  these  conditions,  and  to  accept  the  Chinese  meth- 
ods of  doing  business. 

Tea  is  grown  in  sections  of  China  over  a  country  which, 
in  round  figures,  covers  a  territory  of  about  one  thousand 
miles  from  east  to '  west,  and  about  an  equal  distance  from 
north  to  south.  Railways  are,  practically  speaking,  unknown 
in  the  interior ;  beasts  of  burden  are  scarce,  so,  as  already  de- 


156  TEA   HINTS   FOR   RETAILERS. 

scribed,  man-power  is  employed  as  a  method  of  transportation 
where  river  or  canal  boats  are  not  obtainable.  Under  the  cir- 
cumstances it  is  difficult  to  imagine  a  system  which  would  be 
superior  to  that  which  is,  at  present,  employed  by  the  Chinese 
in  preparing  their  product  for,  and  getting  it  to  market,  so 
that  until  that  national  conservatism,  which  is  so  bitterly 
opposed  to  Western  ideas  and  innovations,  can  be  overcome, 
and  railways  and  other  means  of  rapid  transportation  intro- 
duced, the  present  system  will  remain  unaltered. 

It  has  also  been  shown  that  the  Chinese  tea-gardens  are 
mostly  little  spots  of  land  cultivated  by  native  farmers,  and 
that  the  farmers,  in  view  of  the  extremely  slow  method  of 
transportation  and  the  consequent  danger  of  damage  to  the 
leaves  during  this  transportation,  put  their  product  through  a 
course  of  semi-preparation.  The  semi-prepared  leaves  are  col- 
lected from  the  growers  by  the  factors  or  tea-men  from  the 
larger  cities  of  the  tea-districts,  and,  upon  arrival  at  the  re- 
spective "hongs"  in  these  larger  local  cities,  are  put  through 
the  process  of  manufacture  already  described.  It  would  ap- 
pear that  few,  if  any,  growers,  raise  enough  leaf  to  produce 
what  is  known  as  a  "chop"  of  teas,  so  that  the  owner  of  the 
provincial  "hong"  carefully  selects  sufficient  leaf  from  his 
collection  to  make  about  600  chests,  more  or  less,  and  this  he 
calls  a  "chop."  A  Chinese  chop  of  teas,  therefore,  is  com- 
posed of  the  leaves  from  several  or  from  many  gardens. 

After  the  chop  has  been  prepared  and  separated  according 
to  kind  and  grade,  it  is  ready  for  market,  and  is  transported 
by  man-power,  or  by  river  or  canal  boat,  to  the  nearest  greater 
inland  mart,  or  to  a  sea-port  city,  if  nearer,  or  more  conven- 
ient. 

In  the  interior  of  China  there  are  several  greater  tea- 
marts  which  draw  the  millions  of  chests  of  all  kinds  and 
grades  of  tea  annually  from  the  innumerable  hongs  situated 
amid  the  enormous  stretches  of  surrounding  tea-country. 


THE  TEA  MARTS  OF  THE  ORIENT.  157 

From  these  greater  marts  the  entire  Chinese  product  is  dis- 
tributed,, most  of  it  going  to  home  markets  for  local  consump- 
tion, while  that  portion  of  it  which  is  purchased  for  foreign 
markets  is  re-shipped  to  the  most  convenient  sea-port. 

Very  close  to  the  center  of  the  tea-producing  country,  and 
situated  upon  the  banks  of  the  great  Yang-tse-kiang  River, 
are  the  cities  on  Han-kow,  Kiu-kiang,  Han-yang,  and  Wu- 
chang, the  combined  population  of  which  was  estimated  by 
the  Abbe  Hue  in  1845  at  about  eight  millions.  These  are 
China's  greatest  and  most  famous  inland  tea-marts,  and  to  one 
of  them  the  innumerable  hong  owners  of  the  tributary  dis- 
tricts ship  their  product. 

Han-kow  during  the  first  crop  tea-season,  which  lasts 
about  six  weeks,  is  busy  indeed.  Here  the  foreign  exporters 
assemble ;  buyers  for  export  to  England,  Russia,  America  and 
other  countries.  Here  the  European  and  American  tea-testers 
ply  their  art  in  the  interest  of  employers,  bargaining  with  the 
great  Chinese  brokers  and  merchants  for  this  chop  of  teas  and 
for  that.  During  the  high  tea-season  the  tea-tester  is  supreme, 
for  he  is  the  only  go-between  recognized.  To  him  the  Chi- 
nese brokers  submit  their  samples,  and  with  him,  after  testing, 
the  bargaining  is  done  until  a  price  is  agreed  upon.  All  day 
long,  during  the  six  weeks'  sale  of  first  crop  teas,  these  testers 
are  at  work,  sampling,  bargaining  and  buying  in  the  interest  of 
their  employers,  rigidly  observing  the  laws  of  temperance 
throughout,  for  their  keenest  senses  and  faculties  must  ever  be 
on  the  alert;  and  whenever  a  tester  is  seen  indulging  in  any 
refreshment  stronger  than  soda  or  mineral- water  it  is  a  sure 
sign  that  the  great  tea-season  is  declining,  and  that  little  choice 
tea  is  being  brought  in  from  the  country. 

Most  of  these  tea-testers  are  Englishmen  and  Americans, 
and  all  are  remarkably  expert  at  their  trade  despite  the  fact 
that,  during  the  season,  their  work  is  done  under  the  very  high- 
est pressure.  Russian  tea  firms,  strange  as  it  may  appear, 


4 

158  TEA   HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

invariably  employ  English  or  American  testers,  and  this,  it  is 
said,  is  for  a  reason  not  very  flattering  to  the  Russian  char- 
acter. 

Hundreds  of  thousands  of  chests  of  tea  are  purchased  annu- 
ally by  foreign  exporting  firms  during  the  six  weeks  of  the 
season,  and,  after  purchase,  the  teas  are  delivered  by  the  Chi- 
nese broker  in  chests,  bamboo  baskets  or  in  thick  paper  bags, 
from  which  it  is  dumped  into  great  bins  at  one  of  the  go- 
downs  or  factories,  where  it  is  subjected  to  another  firing  for 
the  purpose  of  dissipating  any  moisture  which  may  have  accu- 
mulated during  transportation  from  the  hongs  or  during 
storage  while  awaiting  a  sale. 

After  it  has  been  purchased  and  re-fired  it  is  carefully 
packed,  and  shipped  by  junk  on  the  river  to  Shanghai,  some 
GOO  miles  to  the  eastward,  where,  if  necessary,  it  is  subjected 
to  another  firing  in  order  to  evaporate  any  moisture  it  may 
have  collected  in  transit,  as  well  as  to  enable  it  to  withstand  a 
long  sea- voyage;  after  which  it  is  carefully  packed  into  the 
lead-lined  chests  we  receive  it  in,  and  is  ready  for  sale  by  the 
exporting  firm  to  the  agent  of  the  foreign  importer  and  to  load 
into  the  ocean-going  steam-ships  for  transportation  abroad. 

The  history  of  a  tea-season  at  Han-kow  is  the  history  of 
all  other  tea-marts.  Shanghai,  Foo-chow,  Amoy,  Canton, 
Wen-chow  and  other  sea-port  marts  receive  teas  from  near-by 
interior  hongs  in  addition  to  an  enormous  bulk  from  the 
greater  inland  marts. 

Both  inland  and  sea-port  marts  have  many  re-firing  estab- 
lishments in  which  all  teas  destined  for  foreign  shipment  an- 
fired  again  before  final  chesting. 

At  the  sea-port  cities  of  China,  European  and  American 
tea-exporting  firms  and  brokers  have  offices  established,  well 
appointed  in  every  way,  and  it  is  to  these  that  the  tea-buyer 
for  foreign  importers  usually  goes  to  do  his  trading.  These 
exporting  firms  can  usually  supply  the  demand  of  any  Euro- 


THE  TEA  MARTS  OF  THE  ORIENT.  159 

pean  or  American  tea-importing  house,  and  if  not,  they  have 
the  great  inland  tea-marts  to  draw  upon  where  their  buying 
agents  are  established.  It  is  immaterial  to  the  foreign  buyer 
whether  the  broker  or  exporting  firm  owns  the  lines  of  teas  he 
selects  or  is  merely  acting  for  a  Chinese  owner,  and,  in  either 
case,  he  purchases  if  the  price  and  other  considerations  suit 
him. 

After  the  trade  has  been  completed,  the  exporting  firm  re- 
ceives the  importer's  instructions  as  to  labels,  brands,  style  of 
packing,  etc.,  and  invoices  the  goods  at  the  agreed  price,  plus 
whatever  costs  that  may  have  accrued. 

The  American  and  European  buying  agent  usually, 
although  not  always,  purchases  a  chop  of  teas  in  its  entirety, 
comprising  the  various  lines  or  gradings,  at  so  many  taels  per 
picul  for  the  chop.  This,  of  course,  is  paying  an  equal  price 
for  all  of  the  kinds  and  grades  which  constitute  the  chop,  so 
that  grading  for  a  cost  becomes  necessary,  either  at  the  port 
of  shipment  or  at  the  destination  of  the  tea.  In  this  grading 
for  cost  all  the  qualities  of  the  tea  are  taken  into  consideration ; 
style,  liquor,  body,  flavor,  aroma,  strength,  etc.,  and  an  aver- 
aged cost  for  each  separate  kind  and  grade  is  arrived  at,  to 
which  has  to  be  added  the  freight,  duties,  re-firing  charges, 
leading,  chests,  labor  of  packing,  matting,  rattaning,  labeling, 
commissions,  etc.,  in  order  to  arrive  at  a  laid-down  cost  at 
destination. 

A  Chinese  tael  at  the  present  time,  although  varying  in 
value  according  to  the  price  of  silver,  equals  about  fifty  cents, 
American;  and  a  picul  is  exactly  133 ^§  Ibs.  avoirdupois. 

The  established  exporting  firms  of  Chinese  sea-ports  fre- 
quently act  as  buying  agents  for,  or  will  sell  directly  to  foreign 
importing  houses  who  do  not  send  a  buyer  to  China  to  act  for 
them.  These  exporting  firms  are  reputable,  as  a  rule,  and 
can  be  relied  upon  to  do  the  very  best  they  can  for  a  customer 
who  intrusts  them  with  orders  by  mail  or  cable.  After  the 


160  TEA   HINTS   FOR   RETAILERS. 

rush  of  the  early  purchasing  and  exporting  season  is  over,  a 
large  quantity  of  unsold  teas,  whole  and  broken  chops,  remains 
upon  their  hands,  or  in  possession  of  Chinese  owners,  so  that, 
throughout  the  year,  quotations  by  circular-letter  are  regularly 
mailed  to  foreign  clients  and  prospective  buyers;  the  circulars 
usually  giving  local  exporting  quotations  and  other  statistics 
of  interest  to  an  importer. 

Payments  for  purchases  are  usually  made  by  importers  in 
the  form  of  drafts  or  letters  of  credit  upon  London  banks  at  •! 
months  sight,  which  are  readily  discountable  at  any  of  the 
Oriental  banks. 

Each  shipping-port  of  China  ships  to  foreign  countric- 
the  kinds  of  teas  that  are  grown  and  made  in  districts  which 
are  naturally  tributary  to  it. 

From  Shanghai,  North  China  teas  are  shipped,  which 
include  Monings,  or  black-leaf  Congous,  Gunpowders,  Young 
Hysons,  Imperials,  Hysons  and  Twankays  of  the  different 
kinds  and  grades. 

From  Foo-chow,  South  China  teas  are  usually  shipped, 
including  Kaisows,  or  red-leaf  Congous,  Souchongs,  China 
Ooloongs,  Flowery  Pekoes  and  Scented  Orange  Peko 

From  Canton,  which  city  has  the  reputation  of  manufac- 
turing and  shipping  most  of  China's  adulterated  teas, 
shipped  Canton  Greens,  comprising  Gunpowders,  Imperials 
and    others;    coarse    black    sorts,    Scented    Capers,    Scented 
Orange-Pekoes  and  "new-make"  Congous. 

From  Han-kow  teas  intended  for  overland  transportation 
to  Russia  are  shipped,  including  the  very  highest  and  finest 
grades  of  Ning-chow,  Ly-Ling  and  Kintuck  Congous;  Brick 
tea  of  the  higher  grades  for  Russia,  and  the  coarser  Brick  and 
Tablet  sorts  for  Mongolia  and  other  Russian  Asiatic  countries. 

Within  the  last  ten  years  or  so  the  shipping  port  of  Wen- 
chow  has  been  coming  rapidly  to  the  front  and  has  succeeded 
in  gaining  a  considerable  amount  of  the  business  which  had 


THE  TEA  MARTS  OP  THE  ORIENT.  161 

hitherto  fallen  to  the  lot  of  Foo-chow  and  Amoy.  It  is  said 
that  the  sorts  which  arrive  from  the  interior  to  the  west  of 
Wen-chow  are  of  excellent  quality,  and  that  labor  and  fuel 
there  are  cheap. 

Prior  to  the  Chinese-Japanese  war  of  1894  the  port  of 
Amoy  handled  the  bulk  of  Ooloongs  from  the  neighboring 
island  of  Formosa,  in  addition  to  some  of  the  China  Ooloongs 
raised  in  the  Province  Fu-Kien,  of  which  Amoy  is  a  sea-port, 
but  since  that  war,  the  island  of  Formosa  having  become  a 
Japanese  possession,  Formosa  teas  are  handled  at  the  island 
sea-port  Tam-Sui,  so  that,  in  consequence,  the  business  of 
Amoy,  as  a  shipping  port,  has  fallen  off  considerably. 

JAPAN — In  Japan  the  tea-trade  is  carried  on,  up  to  a  cer- 
tain point,  almost  exactly  as  in  China.  The  native  farmers 
grow  and  prepare  the  leaves ;  middlemen  collect  them  and  send 
them  in  in  quantity  to  the  most  convenient  sea-port,  where  the}' 
are  purchased  by  the  commission  men,  who  own  and  operate 
the  firing  go-downs.  These  go-downs,  as  has  been  already 
stated,  are  owned  by  Europeans  and  Americans,  although,  in 
recent  years,  many  native-owned  plants  have  been  established, 
and,  under  the  fostering  care  of  the  Japanese  Government, 
business  is  done  by  the  native  owners  directly  with  American 
importing  houses.  Tea-firing  go-downs  are  frequently  exten- 
sive establishments,  employing  many  hundreds  of  operators; 
their  size  and  capacity  being  known  by  the  number  of  "firing- 
pans"  in  operation;  a  go-down  operating  500  pans  or  more 
being  not  uncommon. 

Before  purchasing  from  the  native  middlemen  the  owners 
of  the  go-downs  are  fully  prepared  with  a  knowledge  of  the 
kind  of  leaf  required  to  fill  their  commissioned  orders  from 
America,  so  that  the  selection  is  a  simple  matter  if  they  under- 
stand their  business,  which  is  usually  the  case. 

Teas  are  brought  in  from  the  outlying  districts  to  the 


162  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

shipping  ports  in  a  state  which  permits  of  further  manipula- 
tion. The  condition  of  the  prepared  leaf  as  it  is  brought  in 
is  similar  to  that  as  used  by  native  tea-drinkers,  and  although 
it  is  usually  referred  to  by  both  commission  men  and 
importers  as  "raw-leaf"  it  is  really  not  so  in  fact.  Its  appear- 
ance is  exactly  that  of  the  kind  we  know  as  "Basket-Fired," 
and  it  is  tested  in  the  cup  by  the  experts  of  the  go-down  owners 
in  the  same  manner  as  we  test  it  in  America.  It  is  prepared 
in  the  country  districts  to  give  it  the  appearance  described,  but 
in  order  that  it  may  stand  a  sea-voyage  and  possess  good  ! 
ing  qualities  in  the  country  of  its  destination,  it  must  undergo 
a  higher  firing,  and  to  do  this,  in  accordance  with  the  orders  of 
customers,  is  the  business  of  the  go-down  owners. 

The  business  of  the  latter  with  the  American  importers  is 
done  chiefly  on  a  commissioned  basis,  so  that  in  the  purchase 
of  the  so-called  "raw  leaf"  they  do  it  on  behalf,  and  for  the 
account  of,  their  clients. 

While  the  filling  of  previously  obtained  orders  is  the  bulk 
of  their  business,  many  commission  men  purchase  leaf  on 
speculation;  fire  and  make  it  into  whatever  kind  they  deem 
desirable,  and  depend  upon  future  orders  or,  in  default  of 
these,  consign  it  to  their  American  representatives  for  disposi- 
tion as  occasion  permits.  Thousands  of  chests  are  annually 
consigned  and  held  in  storage  at  the  different  ports  of  entry  m 
America  and  Canada  on  what  is  know  as  "joint  account ;"  that 
is,  where  an  American  importing  house  joins  financial  forces 
with  the  Japan  exporting  house  and  owns  an  equal  or  part 
share  in  the  consigned  teas.  Before  the  end  of  the  season 
these  teas  are  usually  worked  off  to  the  lesser  importers  of  the 
country  who  may  have  run  short  of  certain  grades,  or  have 
not  imported  in  quantity  sufficiently  great  to  meet  their  re- 
quirements. 

In  order  to  obtain  business  many  of  the  go-down  owners 
or  commission  men,  as  they  are  more  frequently  called,  send 


THE  TEA  MARTS  OF  THE  ORIENT.  163 

their  traveling  men  yearly  to  see  their  regular  customers  in 
America  and  take  their  orders  for  the  succeeding  year's 
growth;  incidentally  obtaining  as  many  new  customers  as  pos- 
sible. The  competition  for  the  trade  of  the  American  and 
Canadian  importers  is  very,  keen,  so  that  these  representatives 
must  necessarily  be  men  of  ability  and  have  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  business. 

On  the  other  hand  many  large  American  tea-importers 
send  their  buyers  to  Japan  before  the  opening  of  the  tea-sea- 
son there,  in  order  that  they  may  be  on  the  spot  to  purchase 
and  superintend  the  manufacture  of  their  purchases.  These 
buyers  frequently  go  on  to  China  for  the  same  purpose,  and 
the  Pacific  steamships  leaving  San  Francisco,  and  other  Coast 
ports,  in  March  and  April  of  each  year  carry  many  of  our  best 
known  tea-men  to  the  Orient. 

In  dealing  with  these  commission  houses  American  im- 
porters are  in  possession  of  every  advantage  which  is  possible  to 
obtain.  Teas  can  be  made  exactly  to  their  order  in  point  of 
style,  color,  fire,  etc. ;  and  chests,  boxes,  packages  and  tins  can 
be  gotten  up  to  suit  them  in  every  respect.  If  an  importer  is 
not  quite  satisfied  with  the  past  season's  makes,  he  can  issue 
instructions  to  his  commission  house  to  fire  higher  or  lower  as 
the  case  may  require ;  to  produce  teas  of  better  style  or  of  bet- 
ter cup  qualities ;  to  match  a  given  sample  or  standard  in  color, 
in  style,  or  in  cup,  and  the  commission  house  will  follow 
instructions  carefully  and  produce  goods  accordingly.  These 
advantages  are  simply  the  outcome  of  the  establishment  of 
business  houses  in  Japan,  whose  ideas  of  trade  are  identical 
with  our  own ;  and  of  the  native  method  of  preparing  the  green 
leaf  which  permits  of  a  further  manipulation  . 

Yokohama  and  Hiogo-Kobe  are  the  great  Japanese  ship- 
ping ports,  and  it  is  in  these  two  cities  that  the  firing  go-downs 
are  mainly  established. 

During  the  tea-season,  which  opens  in  the  latter  part  of 


164  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

April  or  the  first  of  May  each  year,  and  lasts  until  the  end  of 
the  second  or  third  crop  picking,  in  July  or  August,  these  two 
cities  are  run  under  very  high  pressure,  for  the  go-downs  are 
compelled  to  work  to  their  fullest  capacity  in  order  to  turn  out 
their  orders  for  America  and  Canada. 

So  that  the  commission  houses  may  be  enabled  to  purchase 
native-leaf  to  the  best  advantage,  American  orders  for  teas 
must  be  in  their  hands  before  the  leaf  begins  to  come  in  from 
the  country  districts.  For  this  reason  the  work  of  obtaining 
orders  in  America  is  done  during  the  earlier  months  of  the 
year;  and  in  April,  before  the  season  opens  in  Japan,  every 
commission  house  knows  just  what  its  orders  for  the  several 
pickings  are.  Then,  with  a  knowledge  of  the  requirements  of 
its  American  clients  the  commission  house  selects  nuti\v- 
leaf  as  it  is  offered  for  sale  by  native  brokers,  and  purchases 
that  which  will  make  up  to  the  best  advantage  in  filling  or 
The  native  brokers  are  prepared  to  make  immediate  deliveries 
to  the  go-downs,  and,  with  the  arrival  of  the  first  native-teas, 
the  season  opens,  from  which  time,  until  the  latest  picked  leaf 
is  delivered,  but  little  rest  is  expected  in  any  of  the  depart- 
ments of  the  go-down. 

As  quickly  as  the  teas  are  fired,  "musters,"  or  samples,  of 
each  individual  line  are  mailed  or  expressed  to  the  American 
purchasers,  so  that  the  quality  of  the  goods  may  be  known 
more  speedily  than  if  the  chests  were  waited  for. 

An  American  importer's  order  for  Japan  teas  usually  in- 
cludes the  several  kinds  and  many  grades  of  each  kind  as  well 
as  teas  of  the  several  pickings.  Steam-ships  leave  Japan  at 
frequent  intervals  during  the  tea-season  so  that  teas  can  be 
shipped  as  quickly  as  they  are  manufactured  and  boxed;  and 
this  convenience  in  the  matter  of  shipments  enables  the  com- 
mission houses  to  forward  the  several  kinds  and  grades  in  the 
order  as  they  are  made.  First  crop  teas,  therefore,  generally 


THE  TEA  MARTS  OF  THE  ORIENT.  165 

reach  America  in  June  or  early  July  and  the  poorer  grades  and 
later  picked  teas  in  August  and  September. 

In  placing  his  order  with  the  Japan  house  the  American 
importer  prepares  for  the  payment  of  the  several  invoices  by 
forwarding  a  letter  of  credit,  usually  on  some  London  bank. 
This  letter  of  credit  is  issued  by  a  responsible  American  bank 
having  London  connections  and  its  face  value  is  great  enough 
to  cover  the  value  of  the  various  shipments  of  tea,  and,  upon 
receipt,  the  Japan  house  deposits  it  with  a  bank  there.  As 
each  shipment  in  connection  with  the  order  is  made,  the  com- 
mission house  draws  against  the  letter  of  credit  for  the  amount 
of  the  invoice,  attaching  the  original  bill  of  lading  to  the  draft. 
The  Japan  bank  cashes  the  draft  and  forwards  it  to  London  for 
collection.  By  this  means  each  shipment  of  teas  is  made  a 
separate  transaction;  and  has  a  separate  invoice  showing  the 
completed  transaction;  the  entire  transaction  being  closed 
when  the  last  shipment  is  made  and  drawn  for.  The  London 
bank  settles  with  the  American  bank  that  issued  the  letter  of 
credit,  and  the  American  bank  with  the  importer.  Thus  the 
financial  papers  connected  with  an  importation  of  Japan  teas 
travel  around  the  world. 

As  soon  as  an  order  for  a  line  of  tea  has  been  manufac- 
tured and  packed  the  invoice  is  made  out  and  mailed  to  the 
importer,  so  that  it  may  be  on  hand,  for  cost-figuring  purposes, 
before  or,  at  least,  as  soon  as  the  tea  itself.  Japanese  invoices 
are  usually  made  out  in  Japanese  currency — Yens  and  Sens, 
Japanese  Dollars  and  Cents.  These  invoices  show  the  number 
of  chests  in  the  line,  the  style  of  packing,  the  quantity  of 
native-leaf  purchased  to  make  the  teas,  the  price  per  picul — 
133  YZ  Ibs. — paid  for  the  native-leaf,  and  the  shrinkage  in 
firing,  siftings  and  dust.  To  the  amount  so  charged,  the 
firing,  packing,  matting,  insurance  and  other  charges  are 
added,  and  the  total,  in  Japanese  currency,  is  converted  into 
English  sterling,  showing  the  amount  drawn  for  on  Lon- 


166  TEA   HINTS   FOR   RETAILERS. 

don  against  the  letter  of  credit;  the  rate  of  exchange  be- 
tween Japanese  coin  and  English  gold  being  specified  and 
in  accordance  with  the  current  rate  of  exchange.  The  Ameri- 
can importer  with  these  figures  before  him  is  enabled  to  con- 
vert the  English  sterling  into  American  gold  values  and  arrive 
at  his  costs. 

The  freight  rate  on  teas  is  usually  pre-arranged;  a 
through  rate,  including  steamer  and  rail  from  Japan  common 
points  to  the  several  American  ports  of  entry  being  made,  and 
is  paid  at  the  destination  of  the  teas. 

In  Japan  the  governmental  system  of  monetary  coinage 
is  decimal.  Coins  are  known  as  "Yens"  and  "Sens" — "Dol- 
lars" and  "Cents."  Although  gold  yens  have  been  coined  they 
are  not  in  general  circulation.  A  Japanese  silver  yen  is  the 
same  size  as  an  American  silver  dollar,  and  is  worth,  approx- 
imately, $0.498,  American  gold.  The  subsidiary  coins,  "sens," 
are  related  to  the  yen  in  the  same  ratio  as  cents  are  to  dol- 
lars in  America — 100  sens  equal  1  yen.  Europeans  and  Amer- 
icans in  the  tea-trade  in  Japan  speak  of  the  Japanese  yen  as  a 
dollar.  Teas  are  purchased  from  natives  by  the  picul  at  so 
many  yens  (dollars)  per  picul,  therefore  teas  costing  Y40.50 
per  picul  are  known  as  40^  dollar  teas;  teas  costing  Y38.25 
per  picul  as  38*4  dollar  teas,  and  so  on  according  to  the  value 
per  picul.  This  system  of  valuation  is  spoken  of,  and  gener- 
ally known,  as  the  "dollar-cost"  of  teas. 

In  placing  an  importation  order  for  teas,  limits  as  to  the 
price  to  be  paid  per  picul  are  frequently  given  at  the  dollar- 
cost  by  American  importers ;  which  means  that  the  commission 
house  is  limited  in  purchasing  raw-leaf  to  so  many  yens  (dol- 
lars) per  picul.  The  following  is  an  example  of  a  Japanese 
tea-invoice  showing  an  entire  transaction.  The  figures  have 
been  obtained  from  an  actual  invoice,  but  the  name  of  the  im- 
porter is,  for  obvious  reasons,  fictitious: 


THE  TEA  MARTS  OF  THE  ORIENT.  167 

JAPANESE  TEA  INVOICE. 

150  PACKAGES  TEA. 

8.  8.  "Tacoma"  to  Tacoma  and  rail  to  Chicago. 

Order  Jones,  Smith  &  Co. 
rj.  s.-i 

L  C.  J     No.  95.     25  H-C.  Ea.  80  Ibs.     zooo  Ibs.     Pels.  17.79  at  Y  40.50  720.49 

u            u    96.     50  H-C.  "   84    "       4200    "          "     37.37   "  Y  38.2.5  1429.40 

"           "    97.     75  H-C.  "   80    "      6000    "         "     53.38  "  Y  H-oo  1868.30 

S.  C.  150  H-C.  12,200  Ibs.    Pels.  108.54                                        ¥4018.19 

Loss  in  weight;  Firing,  7.05  per  cent,  Siftings,  7.97  per  cent  =  15.03  per  cent. 
CHARGES: 

Firing,  packing  and  boxes ___at    ¥5.00  ¥542.70 

Face  matting .. "  4  c  6.00 

Matting,  marking  and  rattaning "  30  c  45.00 

Fire  Insurance  on  Y  4611.89 "  yz  per  cent  23.06 

Storage  at  8  c  Y  12.     Shipping  at  5  c  Y  7.50 "  19.50 

Interest  on  ¥4018  for  15  days. "  10  per  cent  16.51 

Consular  fee _.  5.00 

G$22i.25  Freight  payable  in  Chicago  at  \yz  c  per  Ib 

Marine  insurance  covered  in  America 

Musters  and  petties  Y  20.    Telegrams  Y  5 25.00 

Inspecting,  I  per  cent  on  ¥4018 40.18         722.97 

4741.16 

Buying  commission _.at  2^  per  cent  Y  118.53 

Bill  brokerage __"     ys  6.08          124.61 

,£503.1.0  at  2.ox*  ¥4865.77 
E.  &  O.  E.     HIOGO,  June  8,  1901. 

This  invoice  shows,  first,  that  150  packages  of  tea  have 
been  shipped  by  the  steamship  "Tacoma"  to  Tacoma;  thence 
by  rail  to  Chicago,  and  that  the  teas  left  Hiogo,  Japan,  on 
June  8th,  1901. 

The  brands  of  the  teas  are  J.  S.  over  C.  in  a  block,  Nos.' 
95,  96  and  97  respectively.  The  letters  "S.  C/'  signify  that 
the  teas  are  Sun-Cured.  Three  grades  are  specified,  viz. : — 
25  half-chests  of  No.  95,  80  Ibs.  each  making  2,000  Ibs.  net, 
obtained  from  17.79  piculs  of  native-leaf,  which  cost  40% 
yens  per  picul,  therefore,  a  40%  dollar  tea;  50  half-chests 
of  No.  96,  84  Ibs.  each,  making  4,200  Ibs.  net,  obtained  from 
37.37  piculs  of  native-leaf,  which  cost  38^  yens  per  picul; 
a  38%  dollar  tea,  and  75  half-chests  of  No.  97,  80  Ibs.  each, 


168  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

making  6,000  Ibs.  net,  obtained  from  53.38  piculs  of  native- 
leaf,  which  cost  35  yens  per  picul;  a  35  dollar  tea.  The 
total  cost  of  the  native-leaf  shows  as  Y4018.19.  The  yen 
sign  "Y"  is  used  as  we  use  our  dollar  sign  "$.*" 

Then  follows  specifications  of  the  loss  in  weight  in  firing 
and  siftings,  totalling  15.03  per  cent. 

The  charges  for  firing,  or  manufacturing  the  native-leaf, 
packing,  interest,  etc.,  are  itemized  and  charged  for  at  speci- 
fied rates;  for  instance: — The  first  charge  for  firing,  packing 
and  boxes  is  made  on  the  total  number  of  piculs  purchased — 
viz. : — 108.54  piculs  at  Y5.00  per  picul,  equals  Y542.70. 

The  letter  "G"  before  the  dollar  sign  preceding  the  sum 
$221.25,  signifies  that  this  sum  for  freight,  which  is  payable 
in  Chicago,  is  in  American  gold  dollars — G.  $221.25 — in  con- 
tradistinction to  the  silver  value  of  the  Japanese  dollars  or 
yens  at  which  the  rest  of  the  invoice  is  figured.  The  interest 
and  inspecting  charges  are  figured  on  the  original  value  of 
the  raw-leaf  and  not  on  its  value  after  manufacture.  The 
buying  commission  of  2%  per  cent,  is  charged  on  the  value 
of  the  manufactured  tea,  and  is  supposed  to  cover  a  profit  on 
the  labor  of  manufacture,  boxing,  etc.,  in  addition  to  the 
buying  commission.  The  bill  brokerage,  %  per  cent,  covers 
the  charges  of  the  bank,  the  discounting  of  the  draft  on 
London,  and  naturally  is  charged  against  the  total  invoice 
amount;  the  amount  drawn  for — Y4865.77 — is  the  total 
amount  of  the  invoice,  which  figured  in  English  gold  at  an 
exchange  of  2  shillings  and  13-16  pence — 2|0|  13-16 — the 
current  rate  of  exchange,  gives  a  sterling  value  of  £503.1.0. 
The  letters  "E  and  0.  E."  mean  "Errors  and  Omissions  Ex- 
cepted." 

In  figuring  his  laid-down  American  costs  the  importer 
must  charge  a  correct  proportion  of  the  various  charges 
against  the  three  separate  grades  of  tea,  plus  a  correct  pro- 
portion of  the  freight  paid  at  destination.  The  exchange  rate 


THE  TEA  MARTS  OF  THE  ORIENT.  169 

of  English  sterling  into  American  gold  varies  and  must  be 
figured  at  current  rates  of  exchange. 

Many  importers  of  America  prefer  to  do  a  direct  busi- 
ness with  Japan,  agreeing  to  pay  the  commission  houses  so 
much  per  lb.,  American, .  for  their  teas,  delivered.  This 
simpler  method  of  doing  business,  as  far  as  the  importer  is 
concerned,  appears  to  be  gaining  ground  of  late  years,  al- 
though there  are  many  of  our  importers  who  cling  to  the 
method  detailed. 

In  any  case  it  is  a  pleasure  to  do  business  with  these  up- 
to-date  business  men  of  Yokohama  and  Kobe,  European, 
American  and  Japanese,  who,  fully  appreciating  American 
conditions,  strive  to  meet  them.  In  China  we  are  content  to 
take  the  best  we  can  get;  in  Japan  the  manufacturers  do  all 
they  can  to  give  us  just  what  we  want,  and  they  generally 
succeed.  Such  is  the  difference  in  Japanese  and  Chinese 
methods  as  far  as  purchasing  tea  is  concerned. 

INDIA-CEYLON. — In  India  and  Ceylon  conditions  exist 
which  are  up-to-date  in  every  particular  in  the  matter  of  busi- 
ness methods.  The  growers  are  British  and  naturally  do 
their  trading  under  established  British  business  rules,  and, 
although  these  are  somewhat  different  from  American  meth- 
ods, they  are  easily  understood  by  our  importers. 

India  and  Ceylon  teas  are  grown,  manufactured,  and 
packed  for  shipment  upon  the  plantations. 

After  having  been  stencilled  with  the  garden  name  or 
other  brand,  and  with  the  grading  of  the  tea  within,  the 
cases  are  transferred  by  rail  to  Calcutta  in  India  and  to 
Colombo  in  Ceylon,  where  the  goods  are  offered  in  lots  for 
sale  at  public  auction.  This  is  the  British  system  of  doing 
the  business,  and  it  must  not  be  imagined  that,  because  the 
teas  are  sold  at  auction,  the  owners  are  forced  to  a  sale  in 
order  to  realize.  Competition  for  the  product  of  known  es- 


170  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

tates  keeps  the  prices  at  figures  that  are  usually  remunerative 
to  the  corporation  growers,  but,  in  any  event,  limits  are  usu- 
ally placed  upon  each  lot,  below  which  price  the  auctioneer 
will  not  sell  the  teas.  In  the  great  auction-rooms  of  the  tea- 
markets  sample  chests  are  usually  opened  and  the  teas  dis- 
played for  several  days  prior  to  the  date  of  sale,  so  that  buyers, 
brokers  and  others  interested  may  have  the  opportunity  of 
sampling  any  of  the  lots  before  making  their  offers,  and  are, 
by  this  means,  placed  in  a  position,  before  the  sale  date,  to 
know  just  which  lots  to  offer  on  in  accordance  with  the  orders 
they  may  have  from  England,  the  Colonies,  Russia,  America, 
France  and  other  countries. 

Auction  sales  usually  occur  once  a  week,  and  monthly  cir- 
culars are  mailed  to  tea-importers  throughout  the  world, 
which  circulars  give  statistics  of  the  month's  sales,  conditions 
of  the  market,  exportations  and  other  data  of  interest. 

Very  many  thousands  of  chests  are  offered  and  sold  at 
these  weekly  auctions,  and  the  buyers,  after  the  transaction 
is  completed,  ship  the  teas  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 

The  auction  system  is  an  old  one,  and  the  conservative 
Briton  clings  to  it,  as  he  does  to  many  other  old-fashioned 
ways  of  doing  things,  notwithstanding  that,  under  such  a 
system,  it  would  appear  to  be  easy  for  buyers  or  brokers  to 
combine  in  order  to  rule  prices.  In  the  London  tea-market 
in  Mincing  Lane  teas  are  bought  and  sold  under  the  same  sys- 
tem. Here  some  three  million  chests  of  tea,  containing  up- 
wards of  300  million  Ibs.,  annually  change  hands,  and  most 
of  this  enormous  business  is  "spot,"  that  is,  settled  for,  im- 
mediately after  the  transaction,  by  cash  or  acceptance. 

In  these  great  auction  rooms  sample  chests  of  all  cargoes 
are  exhibited  before  sale,  and  the  teas  are  usually  sold  "stored 
in  the  bonded  ware-houses  at  the  docks,"  although  some  lots 
are  sold  "to  arrive."  In  the  auction  rooms  scenes  of  boisterous 
commercial  strife,  particularly  when  market  prices  are  ad- 


THE  TEA  MARTS  OF  THE  ORIENT.  171 

vancing  or  declining,  are  quite  common,  reminding  one  of  the 
scenes  in  the  New  York  stock  market  or  in  Chicago's  wheat  pit. 

It  is,  of  course,  quite  possible  for  American  importers 
to  deal  directly  with  India  and  Ceylon  houses,  and  import 
their  teas  from  the  manufacturing  concerns,  and  many  im- 
porters are  known  to  have  direct  dealings  with  the  gardens. 
The  majority  of  Indian  and  Ceylon  teas,  however,  are  con- 
signed to  American  markets  by  owners  or  speculators,  and 
sold  to  American  wholesalers  from  sample. 

American  wholesalers  usually  favor  teas  grown  on  a  cer- 
tain estate,  and  of  a  certain  month's  plucking,  and  known,  for 
instance,  as  "September"  or  "October  teas."  This  is  done 
for  the  reason  that  the  pluckings  of  the  gardens  vary  with 
the  months  quite  materially  both  in  style  and  cup  qualities, 
and  past  experience  with  the  teas  proves  that  a  certain  month's 
pluckings  from  a  certain  garden  give  the  better  satisfaction. 

The  following  extract  from  a  Ceylon  monthly  circular 
report  will  give  some  idea  of  the  tea- trade  of  Ceylon  with  the 
countries  of  the  world.  The  report  shows  that  the  total  ex- 
port of  Ceylon  black  and  green  teas  for  the  year  1902  was 
close  to  149  million  Ibs.  as  against  a  total  of  about  146  ^i 
million  Ibs.  in  1901 ;  and  when  it  is  taken  into  consideration 
that  the  export  of  Indian  teas  for  similar  periods  was  greater 
than  that  of  Ceylon,  an  estimate  of  the  enormity  of  this 
British- Colonial  industry  may  be  had. 


172 


TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 


EXPORT  OF  CEYLON  TEA 

As  per    Colombo    Chamber  of  Commerce 
Returns : 


BLACK 

TEA 

1901  —  Ibs. 

1901  —  Ibs. 

To 

United  Kingdom  

...     102,899,489 

105,497,  5J9 

u 

Austria. 

58.592 

50,958 

44 

Belgium. 

9,,  076 

17,781 

44 

France  

2,,  ,110 

,17,866 

" 

Germany  

661,818 

586,104 

44 

Holland 

5,064 

19,041 

44 

Italy. 

20,  ,07 

i,  ,924 

" 

Russia  

---       »,599,95J 

9,609,7,4 

44 

Spain  

,,19, 

250 

ti 

Sweden  

90,107 

65,104 

n 

Turkey 

40,66, 

40,978 

44 

India   

870,140 

1,121,989 

44 

Australia  

...       18,718,794 

10,6,8,108 

44 

America  

5,048,137 

,,704,,,  5 

u 

Africa 

564,178 

,05,7,0 

44 

China  . 

4,66,,ooS 

2,682,  ,,4 

44 

Singapore  .   ... 

218,16, 

147,560 

44 

Mauritius  

71,659 

55,J76 

it 

Tor 

Malta 
al  exoort  from  lit  Ian 

in,6,6 

***** 

GKKBN    TEA 


1902 — Ibs. 

644,441 


to  ,1  Dec.  1901 146,194,597 


145,188,144 


117,115 


29,110 
1,968,456 

1,100 

16,410 


1,796,844 


1901 — Ibs. 


44,161 


16,114 

1,976 

797,796 


1,110,774 


PART    II. 


TEA    PROBLEMS. 


CHAPTER   V. 

HOW  TO  TEST  TEAS. 

The  expert  tea-tester,  or  tea-taster  as  he  is  frequently 
called,  has  so  long  enjoyed  his  unique  position  in  the  com- 
mercial world  and  his  avocation  has  always  appeared  to  the 
layman  to  be  so  far  beyond  the  reach  of  ordinary  mankind 
that  he,  as  a  professional  man,  has  become,  so  to  speak,  com- 
mercially hallowed. 

There  are  few  professions  or  commercial  occupations  that 
require  such  exacting  qualifications  as  that  of  tea-test inir, 
and  there  are  fewer  still  that  demand  at  the  hands  of  those 
following  them  a  more  dexterous  application  of  natural  or  in- 
born faculties.  Few  men,  indeed,  in  these  days  of  deteriorat- 
ing natural  senses  are  physically  qualified  to  become  expert 
in  teas,  or  are  sufficiently  well  endowed  by  nature  to  be  able 
to  make  a  success  as  tea-experts,  and  it  is  not  at  all  surprisiiiir. 
therefore,  that  those  who  are  naturally  qualified  to,  and  have, 
by  personal  effort,  become  expert  tea-men  should  be  the  re- 
cipients of  that  commercial  homage  which  is  paid  to  them. 

To  become  expert  in  tea-testing  remarkably  acute  natural 
senses  are  absolutely  essential ;  senses  that,  originally  perfect, 
have  not  been  weakened  by  abuse,  disuse  or  disease;  senses 
that  are  capable  of  culture  in  the  highest  degree,  and  that 
may  be  depended  upon  to  serve  their  owner  under  any  and 
under  all  circumstances.  The  senses  of  smell,  taste,  sight 
and  touch  are  the  stock-in-trade  of  the  professional  tea-ex- 
pert, and  these,  added  to  the  years  of  practical  experience 
necessary  to  successfully  qualify  for  the  position,  gain  for 
him  a  high  place  in  the  commerical  world;  a  right  goodly 


HOW  TO  TEST  TEAS.  175 

income,  and  a  knowledge  that  his  decision  is  very  close  to  law 
in  the  tea-circles  surrounding  him. 

Time  was  when  the  public  tea-experts  of  the  United 
States,  like  their  brethren  of  Great  Britain  of  today,  were 
absolute  masters  of  the  tea-situation,  and  it  was  to  such  men 
that  wholesalers  were  wont  to  apply  for  professional  opinion 
and  advice ;  but  in  this  country,  with  its  modern  methods  and 
advancing  business  ideas,  these  have  gradually  passed  away 
and  their  places  have  been  ably  filled  by  the  tea-buyers  of  spe- 
cialty and  wholesale  grocery  houses,  and  by  the  tea-brokers  of 
the  larger  cities,  who,  as  a  rule,  are  both  very  capable  of  grad- 
ing teas  and  of  placing  an  exact  commercial  valuation  upon 
them. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  art  of  tea-testing  is  known 
to  be  a  difficult  one  to  master,  few  retail  merchants  ever  at- 
tempt it,  believing  that,  inasmuch  as  long  apprenticeship  to 
the  trade,  and  unusual  qualifications  are  indispensable,  it 
would  be  useless  for  them  to  make  the  effort. 

Expert  knowledge  and  experience  are,  of  course,  neces- 
sary to  the  man  who  makes  tea-testing  a  business  or  profes- 
sion, for  such  knowledge  added  to  experience  is  absolutely 
essential  in  order  to  grade  teas  accurately  and  to  place  a  valu- 
ation upon  an  Oriental  invoice  to  the  cent  or  fraction  of  a 
cent  per  lb.,  but  for  a  retail  merchant  to  gain  a  knowledge, 
of  the  art  sufficiently  great  to  enable  him  to  test  the  few 
kinds  and  grades  of  teas  that  are  in  use  in  his  own  particular 
market,  and  to  place  himself  in  that  position  where  he  can 
protect  himself  in  the  matters  of  grades  and  values,  is  far 
from  being  so  difficult  a  matter  as  is  usually  believed.  It  is, 
in  fact,  so  simple  and  inexpensive,  so  interesting  and  educat- 
ing withal,  that  it  is  really  strange  that  so  few  retail  mer- 
chants undertake  to  make  such  a  knowledge  a  part  of  their 
business  education. 

The  following  attempt  at  a  description  of  a  tea-test  has 


176  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

been  written  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  those  retailers  who 
desire  to  gain  a  better  knowledge  of  teas  generally,  and  who 
wish  to  become  fairly  conversant  with  the  art  of  testing,  but 
it  must  be  fully  understood,  by  those  who  would  progress, 
that  practice  will  do  much  more  than  any  written  directions 
to  bring  about  perfection. 

Faulty  though  it  may  be,  the  modus  operandi  will,  at 
least,  serve  to  create  a  foundation  upon  which  a  knowledge 
of  the  art  may  be  built;  a  knowledge  which  every  retail  dealer 
would  serve  his  own  best  interest  to  possess ;  for  not  only  would 
such  a  knowledge  assist  him  in  making  and  saving  dollars, 
but  it  would  be  a  means  of  aiding  the  cause  of  better  teas, 
and  of  giving  an  impetus  to  the  consumption  of  the  beverage ; 
a  beverage  which  is,  without  doubt,  the  most  health-giving 
and  generous  known  to  the  human  family. 

The  utensils  necessary  for  testing  teas  are  inexpensive, 
easily  procured,  and  take  up  no  valuable  space  in  the  store 
room. 

A  tea-kettle,  an  even-balance  scale,  a  five  cent  silver 
coin,  a  half-dozen  porcelain  testing-cups  or  triers,  a  silver  or 
silver-plated  tea-spoon,  a  finger-bowl,  a  half-dozen  trays  or 
sample-pans  and  an  ordinary  table  would  constitute  an  outfit 
good  enough  for  all  practical  purposes,  and  with  these,  and  a 
little  patience,  a  little  experimenting  and  practice,  the  re- 
tailer will  quickly  realise  that  he  can  test  teas  sufficiently 
well  for  all  his  business  requirements. 

The  thin,  white  porcelain  tea-cups  or  triers  and  the  sam- 
ple-trays or  pans  can  be  procured  for  a  small  sum  from  any 
wholesale  grocer  or  tea-specialty  house;  the  balance  of  the 
articles  specified  are,  more  than  likely,  at  hand.  After  hav- 
ing procured  the  necessary  utensils  a  start  is  ready  to  be  made, 
but,  before  making  it,  it  will  be  well  to  take  into  consideration 
the  following  important  suggestions  and  remember  them. 

Light  plays  an  important  part  in  tea-testing,  and  should 


HOW  TO  TEST  TEAS.  177 

always  be  taken  into  consideration.  A  place  for  testing 
should  be  chosen  where  the  light  is  steady  and  true, 
and  will  equally  surround  each  cup  under  examination;  for 
in  comparing  teas,  or  in  matching  one  tea  with  another,  each 
cup  must  have  equal  light  to  bear  upon  it,  otherwise  the  col- 
ors of  the  liquors  cannot  be  successfully  compared.  Direct 
sunlight  must  be  avoided,  as  well  as  artificial  lights  of  all 
kinds,  for  teas  cannot  be  examined  in  the  cup,  or  in  the  leaf, 
for  that  matter,  except  in  good  broad  day-light. 

The  tea-kettle  must  be  perfectly  clean  and  free  from  odor 
of  any  kind.  A  new  kettle,  if  used,  should  be  boiled  out  sev- 
eral times  before  using,  and  perfect  sweetness  ensured. 

The  scale  must  be  true;  any  kind  of  an  even-balance 
scale  will  do,  large  or  small,  provided  that  it  will  weigh 
accurately  such  a  small  amount  of  tea-leaves  as  is  represented 
by  the  weight  of  a  silver  half-dime. 

The  tea-cups,  or  triers,  should  be  washed  perfectly  clean 
and  wiped  until  dry  with  a  clean,  sweet  cloth — that  is,  a  cloth 
which  has  no  odor  of  muslin.  It  is  well  to  thoroughly  rinse 
the  cups  in  hot  water  and  dry  them  immediately  after  use, 
for  if  the  infusion  is  allowed  to  stand  in  them  for  a  few 
hours  a  deposit  of  coloring  matter  will  result  which  will  in- 
delibly stain  the  brilliant  whiteness  of  the  porcelain. 

The  tea-spoon  should  be  treated  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  cups  so  that  it  will  be  perfectly  clean,  odorless,  and  dry. 
Silver  or  plated  spoons  are  very  liable  to  discoloration,  there- 
fore they  should  be  well  rinsed  and  dried  immediately  after 
use. 

The  silver  five-cent  piece  may  be  of  either  United  States 
or  Canadian  currency ;  and  the  sample-pans  or  trays  should  be 
large  enough  to  show  a  good  sized  surface  of  the  samples; 
similar  pans,  in  fact,  to  those  which  are  ordinarily  used  in 
wholesale  houses  for  exhibiting  samples  of  teas  and  coffees. 

These  careful  preparations  and  precautions  against  odor 


178  TEA   HINTS    FOR   RETAILERS. 

and  impurity  may  appear  to  be  somewhat  punctilious,  but 
when  it  is  fully  realized  how  very  delicate  the  tea-leaf  is. 
and  how  easy  it  is  for  the  operator  to  mistake  some  foiriirn 
odor  for  an  imperfection  in  the  infusion  under  examination, 
the  reason  for  them  will  be  more  fully  understood;  besides 
these  are  the  precautions  taken  by  tea-experts  generally,  and 
it  is  best  to  make  a  beginning  in  the  regulation  way. 

It  is  customary  for  experts  to  use  distilled  water  when 
drawing  teas,  or  a  water  that  is  known  to  be  soft  and  free 
from  chemicals,  minerals  or  impurities.  Such  water  is  es- 
sential to  the  expert  in  order  that  he  may  be  able  to  draw 
the  several  intrinsic  qualities  from  the  leaf,  and  so  place  a 
commercial  valuation  upon  it;  a  valuation  based  upon  each 
and  every  one  of  the  qualities  exhibited  in  the  draw.  It  is 
a  well  known  fact,  however,  among  tea-men  that  diftVivnt 
waters  have  different  effects  upon  teas.  Young,  flavory,  high- 
grade  leaf  of  any  kind  or  make  of  green  or  black  tea  will  yield 
its  full  fragrance,  flavor  and  strength  when  infused  in  pure, 
soft  water;  while  the  same  leaf,  if  infused  or  drawn  in  hard 
water,  will,  most  likely,  fail  to  exhibit  the  qualities  discovered 
by  the  soft-water  infusion.  This  is  owing  to  the  action  upon 
the  leaves  of  such  chemicals  or  minerals  as  may  be  held  in 
solution  in  the  hard  water;  which  action  either  destroys  the 
sensitive  qualities  of  the  leaf  or  abuses  them  to  such  an  extent 
that  they  become  unrecognizable.  Highly-fired  teas,  or  teas 
of  the  rougher,  harsher  sorts,  give  better  results  in  hard 
water,  for  they  are  better  able,  on  account  of  their  higher  fire 
or  rougher  characteristics,  to  withstand  the  action  of  chemi- 
cals, or  minerals. 

Writers  upon  the  subject  of  testing  teas  usually  insist 
upon  advising  the  use  of  distilled  or  perfectly  pure  water  for 
the  purpose.  While  such  a  method  will  invariably  discover 
the  intrinsic  qualities  of  a  tea,  and  prove  up  a  good  or  a  poor 
tea  to  better  advantage,  it  will  not  guide  a  retailer  in  the 


HOW  TO  TEST  TEAS.  179 

choice  of  a  tea  that  will  be  perfectly  suitable  to  the  water  of 
his  district.  The  better  plan  for  him  to  adopt,  therefore,  is 
to  test  his  teas  in  water  similar  to,  or  exactly  like,  that  in 
which  the  beverage  will  be  made  by  his  customers. 

This,  upon  its  face,  may  not  appear  to  be  good  advice, 
but  when  it  is  realized  that  the  retailer's  only  interest  in  the 
test  is  to  secure  teas  that  will  give  the  best  of  satisfaction  to 
his  trade,  it  will  appear  that  to  test  them  in  the  same  kind 
of  water  that  will  eventually  be  used  by  consumers  in  mak- 
ing the  beverage  will  give  him  a  better  idea  of  their  suita- 
bility, for  if  the  teas  draw  well  in  the  test  when  district  water 
is  used,  they  will  drink  well  also. 

The  point  has  now  been  reached,  we  will  say,  when  the 
actual  testing  begins,  and  in  order  to  facilitate  the  explana- 
tion it  will  be  supposed  that  the  merchant  desires  to  match  up 
a  Japan  tea  which  he  has  in  stock  and  wishes  to  replace  as 
nearly  as  possible.  It  will  be  best  to  examine  two  samples 
only  at  a  time  for  the  reason  that,  until  the  novice  has  gained 
some  experience  in  the  art,  he  will  find  that  some  little  time 
will  have  to  be  spent  over  the  first  two  cups,  and,  during 
the  time  so  expended,  the  third  or  remaining  cups  will  have 
grown  cold,  and  much  of  the  aroma  of  the  liquor  and  of  the 
leaves  have  escaped. 

The  first  part  of  the  operation  is  to  fill  the  kettle  with 
fresh  water,  as  specified,  and  place  it  upon  the  stove  to  boil. 
This  will,  of  course,  take  a  little  time,  but  the  interval  may 
be  occupied  to  advantage  by  a  careful  examination  of  the 
two  samples  of  dry  tea-leaves  which  are  to  be  tested.  This 
may  have  been  done  previously  but  it  will  be  well  to  occupy 
the  spare  time  in  comparing  the  samples  again,  for  the  re- 
newed examination  will  freshen  the  memory  and  materially 
aid  the  judgment  which  will  be  passed,  later  on,  when  the 
liquors  are  before  the  tester  and  his  nose  is  over  the  cups. 

In  making  an  examination  of  the  "style/'  or  general  ap- 


180  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

pearance  of  the  samples,  spread  the  leaves  over  as  large  a 
surface  as  possible  in  the  sample-trays.  It  will  be  well,  before 
doing  this,  to  write  the  brand  or  mark  of  each  sample  upon 
a  small  piece  of  paper ;  place  the  papers  so  marked  face  down- 
wards in  the  bottom  of  the  trays  and  cover  them  up  with  the 
tea-leaves  represented  by  the  papers.  This  will  serve  to  dis- 
tinguish one  sample  from  the  other  after  the  final  judgment 
has  been  passed,  as  well  as  to  prevent  the  rendering  of  a 
biased  decision,  which  might  occur  were  either  of  the  teas 
known  to  the  tester.  This  having  been  done,  note  carefully 
how  the  samples  compare  one  with  the  other.  See  if  the  leaves 
are  about  equal  in  size  and  are  equally  well  rolled,  twisted  or 
curled.  Ascertain  if  there  is  any  difference  in  the  color  or 
shade  of  the  leaves,  or  if  one  of  them  looks  fresher  to  the  eye 
than  the  other.  Take  up  a  quantity  of  the  leaves  in  the 
hand,  gently  press  them,  and  note  if  one  is  more  springy  or 
more  flexible  than  the  other.  A  new  tea  will  give  under 
gentle  compression  and  return  without  crumbling  or  break- 
ing up  in  the  hand.  An  old  tea  will  break  up  and  show  con- 
siderable dust.  Shake  the  pans  and  gently  spread  the  leaves 
apart  with  the  fingers  and  observe  if  one  sample  contains  more 
tea-dust  than  the  other,  or  more  sticks  or  stalks.  Reject  a 
dusty  tea  at  once,  for  it  has  either  been  "filled"  with  dust 
or  siftings  to  cheapen  it,  or  its  quality  is  so  poor  that  it  lias 
not  been  considered  profitable  to  take  the  dust  out  before 
shipment  from  the  Orient.  Make  a  mental  note  regarding 
the  styles  or  general  appearance  of  the  two  teas  as  a  whole; 
perhaps  they  may  be  equally  good,  or  one  may  be  a  trifle 
poorer  than  the  other  in  this  respect.  If  the  tea  which  is  to 
match  the  retailer's  stock  is  undeniably  inferior  in  style  it 
will  be  better  to  pass  it  at  the  beginning,  for,  although  style 
is  by  no  means  an  indication  of  drinking  qualities,  many  con- 
sumers look  for  stylish  teas,  and  it  is  not  difficult  to  procure 


HOW  TO  TEST  TEAS.  181 

samples  of  teas  which  will  closely  match  the  style  of  the  stock 
tea. 

In  the  examination  of  teas,,  side  by  side,  the  eye  very 
quickly  becomes  educated  and,  after  a  short  period  of  ex- 
perimenting and  practice,  -the  retailer  will  discover  that  he 
can  readily  choose  the  better  styled  tea  from  the  poorer,  even 
when  the  two  are  closely  matched. 

Style  having  been  passed  upon,  place  the  two  trays  con- 
taining the  samples  on  the  table,  and,  as  a  further  proof  in 
the  test,  should  the  teas  be  known,  endeavor  to  place  them 
so  that  one  sample  cannot  be  told  from  the  other ;  the  papers 
under  the  leaves,  which  specify  the  brand  of  each,  will  pre- 
vent eventual  confusion. 

Place  the  drawing  cups  in  front  of  the  trays,  close  to 
the  edge  of  the  table.  Weigh  out  as  many  of  the  leaves  as 
it  takes  to  exactly  balance  the  five-cent  silver-piece  on  the 
scale,  and  put  that  quantity  of  each  sample  into  the  cup 
which  is  opposite  to  it,  being  particularly  careful,  during 
this  part  of  the  operation,  not  to  get  the  samples  mixed  in 
the  cups;  in  other  words,  arrange  each  sample  so  that  the 
leaves  in  each  cup  will  surely  represent  the  teas  which  are  in 
the  trays  opposite  each  cup. 

By  this  time  the  water  will  be  boiling,  and  to  ensure  the 
best  results,  it  should  be  used  about  one  minute  after  the 
steam  comes  from  the  spout  of  the  kettle;  briskly  boiling,  in 
fact.  If  water  from  the  kettle  which  has  just  commenced  to 
throw  off  steam  is  used  the  tea-leaves  will  float,  and  this  will 
prove  that  the  water  is  not  actually  boiling.  In  high  altitudes 
this  will  be  especially  noticed. 

The  water  having  reached  the  proper  boiling  point,  the 
kettle  is  ready  to  be  taken  off  the  stove,  and,  in  the  act  of  re- 
moving it,  a  portion  of  the  water  should  be  hastily  poured 
through  the  spout  into  some  handy  receptacle  in  order  to 
clear  it  of  any  impurities  or  scum  which  may  have  lodged 


182  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

there;  but  no  time  must  be  lost  in  doing  this.  Now  pour  the 
boiling  water  gently  over  the  leaves  in  the  first  cup  until  it 
is  about  half  full ;  then  do  the  same  with  the  second  cup ;  com- 
ing back  quickly  to  the  first  cup  and  filling  it  up  with  the 
water  almost  to  the  brim,  and  immediately  afterwards  doing 
the  same  with  the  second  cup.  Put  the  kettle  quickly  away 
and  take  a  seat  directly  in  front  of  the  cups  in  such  a  position 
as  will  not  prevent  the  light  from  striking  the  cups  equally 
and  evenly,  and,  as  soon  as  seated,  skim  off  with  the  spoon 
any  stems  or  scum  which  may  be  floating  upon  the  surface 
of  the  liquor.  Now  watch  the  leaves  slowly  unfolding  at  the 
bottom  of  the  cups — "the  agony  of  the  leaves,"  as  some  one 
has  put  it — and  inhale  the  rising  steam  from  first  one  and 
then  the  other.  How  quickly  the  essential  oil  of  the  leaves 
yields  up  its  fragrance  to  the  influence  of  the  hot  water,  and 
how  grateful  is  the  aroma  as  it  rises  to  the  nostrils  with  the 
escaping  steam. 

As  the  steam  arises  form  a  mental  judgment  with  regard 
to  the  merits  of  the  aroma  of  both,  and  carry  the  result  in 
mind.  There  is  almost  sure  to  be  a  difference  in  the  flavors. 
and  one  of  them  will,  most  likely,  impress  the  operator  as 
being  the  more  pleasing  to  the  sense  of  smell.  The  leaves 
are,  as  yet,  a  little  too  hot  to  smell  comfortably,  as  but  a  few 
moments  have  passed  since  the  boiling  water  was  poured  on. 
Now  move  the  leaves  very  gently  with  the  teaspoon  and  note 
the  difference  in  the  color  of  the  liquor  after  this  is  done. 
From  the  bottom  of  the  cups  a  darker  shade  will  likely  arise. 
The  liquor  of  one  of  the  samples  may  be  of  a  darker  shade  of 
color  than  the  other.  In  the  case  of  most  light-liquoring  teas 
this  will  be  against  it,  for  a  darker  shade  of  color  must  not 
be  mistaken  for  greater  body  or  strength. 

A  half-minute,  or  so,  has  passed  and  the  leaves  are  now 
cool  enough  to  smell.  Take  up  with  the  spoon  as  many  of 
the  leaves  as  it  will  conveniently  hold,  pressing  them  gently 


HOW  TO  TEST  TEAS.  183 

against  the  side  of  the  cup  with  the  spoon  in  order  to  assist 
them  into  it;  then  tilt  the  spoon  and  allow  the  liquor  to  run 
out  of  it  into  the  cup  again,  and  quickly  apply  the  spoonful 
of  leaves  to  the  nostrils;  then  inhale  the  aroma,  and  note,  as 
this  is  done,  and  as  far  as  possible,  whatever  characteristics 
it  may  possess.  The  aroma  arising  from  the  leaves  may  be 
flavory,  freshly  delicate,  toasty  or  otherwise  pleasing  to  the 
sense  of  smell,  or  it  may  be  harsh,  insipid,  characterless,  fla- 
vorless, flat,  metallic,  stale,  or  in  some  way  unpleasant.  Put  the 
spoonful  of  leaves  into  the  cup  again  and  rinse  the  spoon  in 
the  liquor  of  the  cup  from  which  the  leaves  have  been  taken 
so  as  to  prevent  the  transfer  of  the  flavor  from  one  cup  to 
the  other.  For  this  purpose  experts  usually  have  a  finger- 
bowl  filled  with  hot  water  conveniently  placed  so  that  the 
spoon  may  be  readily  rinsed.  Now  repeat  the  operation  with 
the  leaves  of  the  second  cup  and  continue  to  do  so  with  first 
one  cup  and  then  the  other  until  there  can  be  no  question  in 
the  mind  as  to  the  merits  of  either  sample.  A  difference  in 
odor  and  flavor  will  surely  be  noticed  unless  the  two  samples 
are  a  perfect  match  which  is  not  often  the  case. 

Which  sample  is  the  sweeter;  the  more  flavory;  the 
pleasanter  to  the  sense  of  smell  ?  If  the  teas  are  quite  unevenly 
matched,  the  better  of  the  two  will  surely  prove  itself  to  the 
beginner  by  its  superiority  of  flavor  and  aroma,  even  if  he  is 
unaware  of  the  reasons  for  it,  or  is  unable  to  define  the  supe- 
riority in  technical  terms.  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  he  can 
pronounce  one  of  the  teas  to  be  old  crop  and  the  other  new; 
nor  can  he  assert  that  one  is  first  crop  or  pickings,  and  the 
other  second,  or  third ;  but  all  this,  and  much  more,  will  come 
to  him  with  time  and  practice.  Enough  for  the  present  that 
he  can  distinguish  a  difference  between  the  two  teas  and 
specify  the  one  which  is  the  better  of  the  two  in  so  far  as 
flavor  goes.  Practice  will  bring  skill,  for  the  sense  of  smell 
is  quite  easily  trained  to  work  of  the  kind. 


184  TEA   HINTS   FOR   RETAILERS. 

In  the  test  before  us  the  liquor  is,  as  yet,  too  hot  to  taste, 
but  now  is  the  time  to  examine  it. 

The  color  of  a  liquor  is  all  important.  To  the  experi- 
enced eye  of  the  expert  it  reveals  much  that  is  necessary  in 
a  determination  of  values.  The  various  shades  of  color  ex- 
hibited indicate,  approximately,  at  least,  the  age  of  the  leaf 
when  plucked  from  the  shrub  and  the  length  of  time  that  has 
elapsed  since  it  was  manufactured  into  commercial  leaf.  In 
other  words,  the  expert  reads,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  life 
history  of  the  leaf  in  the  color  or  shade  of  its  liquor.  It  tells 
him,  as  much  as  other  demonstrations,  whether  the  leaf  was 
young,  medium  aged  or  old  upon  the  bushes  at  the  time  of 
picking;  whether  it  is  of  first,  second  or  third  pickings,  or 
whether  it  is  new  crop,  that  is,  the  latest  crop,  or  a  year  or 
more  old  as  far  as  crop  is  concerned.  While  liquor-color  de- 
terminations are  always  subject  to  qualification  by  past  and 
future  considerations  in  the  cup  and  otherwise,  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  color  of  the  infusion  is  an  important  factor  in  a  cup- 
test,  and  it  should,  therefore,  be  carefully  examined  and  con- 
sidered before  judgment  is  passed. 

The  lighter  the  liquor  of  light-liquoring  teas,  the  younger 
the  leaf  and  the  better  the  tea,  as  a  rule,  although  in  a  test  for 
the  purpose  of  matching  a  tea  that  has  given  satisfaction  it 
is  not  good  policy  to  over-match,  that  is,  to  select  a  tea  that 
is  younger  and,  therefore,  of  lighter  colored  liquor,  even  if 
such  a  tea  can  be  purchased  at  an  equal  price,  for  consumers 
will  surely  notice  the  difference  and  will  be  very  apt  to  dis- 
credit good  intentions;  besides  such  a  tea  may  be  lacking  in 
other  qualities  possessed  by  the  stock  tea.  It  is  always  best, 
therefore,  in  matching  up  a  tea  that  has  given  perfect  satis- 
faction, to  select  one  that  shows  equal  qualities  all  around- 
such  a  tea  is  a  match ;  a  "dead  match,"  in  trade  parlance. 

A  clear,  greenish-yellow  or  greenish-golden  color,  bright 
and  lustrous  to  the  bottom  of  the  cup,  denotes  a  young  early- 


HOW  TO  TEST  TEAS.  185 

picked  Japan  leaf  without  that  excess  of  tannin  which  age 
brings;  while,  to  go  to  extremes,  a  dull,  lifeless,  dark  or 
brownish-yellow  color,  lacking  in  brightness  or  lustre,  de- 
notes an  old  or  a  low-grade  Japan  leaf. 

Now  note  the  difference  in  the  color  of  the  liquors  before 
us;  one  is,  perhaps,  the  brighter  and  the  lighter  of  the  two; 
there  is  a  life,  a  lustre,  a  pleasing  brightness  about  one  of 
them,  difficult  to  describe  in  words,  but  easily  identified  by  the 
eye.  The  other  is  also  of  good  color,  but  not  quite  so  light  or 
bright,  a  trifling  difference,  perhaps,  but  yet  a  difference  suf- 
ficiently great  to  enable  the  novice  to  distinguish  between  the 
two.  As  the  liquor  gradually  cools,  both  are  likely  to  darken, 
for  the  hot  water  is  extracting  the  tannin  from  the  stalks 
and  veins  of  the  leaves  and  a  darker  shade  will,  in  conse- 
quence, become  noticeable.  One  of  the  samples  is  "standing 
up" — that  is,  holding  its  original  light  color — better  than  the 
other,  and  this  fact  proves  that  it  is  the  younger  and,  there- 
fore, the  better  leaf  of  the  two.  The  poorer  of  the  two  will 
darken  more  quickly,  proving  that  it  was  older  when  picked 
from  the  tea-shrub,  and,  therefore,  inferior.  Which  one  of 
the  two  under  examination  has  the  poorer  liquor? 

The  liquor  is  cooling  fast  and  to  taste  it  before  too  much 
tannin  has  been  extracted  is  now  the  object.  Tea-tasters 
never  swallow  the  liquor,  for  it  is  claimed  that  to  do  so  will 
injure  the  sense  of  taste  for  the  time  being.  They  allow  the 
liquid  to  rest  upon  the  palate;  rolling  it  around  in  the  mouth 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  wine  connoisseur  tastes  wine ;  and, 
after  having  arrived  at  their  determination,  they  eject  it  from 
the  mouth  into  a  tea-cuspidor;  a  tall,  wide-mouthed  utensil 
especially  made  for  the  purpose,  which  they  place  upon  the 
floor  in  such  a  position  that  its  mouth  will  come  up  directly 
between  the  knees.  The  object  of  tasting  the  liquor  is  to  de- 
termine the.  drinking  qualities  of  the  tea,  that  is  the  flavor, 
body,  pungency  and  strength,  and  to  qualify  the  recent  smell- 


186  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

ing  examination  by  taste.  The  body  of  the  liquor  is  really 
its  thickness  in  the  sense  that  ordinary  water  is  thin,  and  to 
add  some  ingredient  to  it  which  it  will  take  up  and  hold  in 
solution  will  thicken  it.  The  appearance,  or  color,  of  the 
liquor  cannot  justify  an  opinion  as  to  body  or  strength.  A 
very  high-grade  Japan,  Moyune  Gunpowder  or  Young  Hyson 
has  a  remarkably  light-colored  liquor,  so  much  so,  indeed,  that 
it  would  naturally  suggest  a  lack  of  body  and  strength.  This, 
however,  is  far  from  being  the  case,  for  the  small,  young  and 
tender  leaves  of  a  high-grade  tea  have  not  the  percentage  of 
tannin  coloring  matter  in  their  veins  and  stalks  which  older 
leaves  possess,  but  they  possess  the  strength  of  sap  as  well  as 
all  the  other  virtues  of  the  tea-leaf  in  their  youngest  and, 
therefore,  in  their  highest  degree.  Extremely  light-colored 
liquor,  therefore,  must  not  be  taken  as  evidence  of  a  lack  of 
other  cup  qualities,  and  for  this  reason  the  liquor  must  be 
tasted.  On  the  other  hand,  to  go  to  extremes,  a  heavy-look- 
ing, dark-colored  liquor,  in  the  same  kind  of  teas,  must  not 
be  taken  as  evidence  of  body  and  strength.  Any  old  crop  tea, 
or  low-grade  leaf,  will  draw  poorly,  that  is,  darkly  and  thickly, 
for  the  excess  of  tannin  in  the  thicker  veins  and  stalks  of  an 
older  leaf  will  be  quickly  extracted  by  the  hot  water,  but,  for 
all  that,  its  thickness  and  heaviness  is  not  the  body  and 
strength  that  comes  from  the  sap  of  the  leaf,  as  the  acrid  taste 
will  prove. 

To  return  to  the  two  cups  before  us.  Take  up  a  teaspoon- 
ful  of  the  liquor  of  the  first  cup ;  see  that  it  is  not  too  hot  to 
take  into  the  mouth  comfortably,  for  to  scald  the  mouth 
will  greatly  interfere,  for  the  time  being,  with  the  sense  of 
taste,  and,  therefore,  with  the  test.  Then  take  the  spoonful 
as  a  whole  into  the  mouth  by  drawing  it  with  a  quick  inward 
breath  between  the  lips;  roll  the  liquid  around  with  the 
tongue,  allowing  it  to  come  in  continuous  contact  with  the  pal- 
ate. While  doing  this  make  a  mental  note  of  its  strength ;  note, 


HOW  TO  TEST  TEAS.  187 

if  possible,  if  it  possesses  a  roundness  or  fullness,  so  to  speak ;  a 
smoothness,  a  piquancy  or  pungency.  Note,  on  the  other 
hand,  if  its  taste  is  harsh,  metallic,  insipid,  grassy,  fishy, 
smoky,  acrid,  puckery  or  in  any  way  unnatural  or  distasteful. 
Eject  the  first  spoonful  and  try  it  again ;  confirm  the  first  im- 
pression if  possible,  and,  should  there  be  a  doubt,  try  another 
spoonful.  An  impression  either  favorable  or  unfavorable 
should  have  been  formed  by  this  time.  Now  do  likewise  with 
the  second  cup;  eject  the  first  spoonful  and  try  again.  Has 
it  the  strength,  the  body,  the  roundness  or  as  good  a  flavor  as 
the  first  cup  ?  Is  it  as  pleasing  ?  Does  it  appear  to  taste  en- 
tirely different?  Is  it  "toastier"  or  less  "toasty"?  Has  it 
more  "brassiness  ?"  Does  it  appear  to  come  out  of  the  test  with 
superior  or  inferior  qualities  taken  as  a  whole?  Try  another 
spoonful  of  each  if  undecided,  for,  perhaps,  it  is  difficult  to 
find  much  difference;  this  will  confirm  the  original  impres- 
sion ;  if  not,  try  again  and  again  until  an  opinion  is  positively 
formed. 

"Toasty,"  that  is,  highly  "fired"  teas  will  show  up  in 
the  cup  to  better  advantage — that  is,  taste  better — in  hard, 
harsh  water,  than  low-fired,  delicate  flavored  teas,  for  the 
hardness  of  the  water  will  kill,  in  a  great  measure,  the  flavor 
of  a  very  delicate  tea.  Pure,  soft  water  will,  on  the  other 
hand,  bring  out  the  full  flavor  of  a  delicate  tea,  and  it  must 
be  remembered  that  the  test  is  being  made  to  choose  a  tea 
suitable  to  the  water  of  the  district.  Select,  therefore,  a 
highly-toasted  tea  for  a  hard  water,  and  a  low-fired,  finely- 
flavored  tea  for  a  soft  water  country. 

The  beginner  has,  by  this  time,  formed  an  opinion  of 
the  merits  of  the  two  teas  by  the  smell,  the  color  of  the  liquor, 
and  the  taste,  and  he  has  concluded,  to  his  satisfaction,  which 
is  the  better  tea  of  the  two  as  far  as  he  has  gone.  He  should 
now  be  able  to  tell  whether  one  tea  is  close  enough  to  the 
other  in  every  particular  to  warrant  a  decision  that  one  tea 


188  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

is  a  good  match  for  the  other;  or  he  has  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  there  is  too  much  difference  between  the  two  teas 
in  one  essential  qualification,  or  in  two,  or  in  all.  In  the 
one  case  the  teas  will  match;  in  the  other  they  will  not. 

'A  very  good  way  for  the  beginner  to  do  is  to  forward  a 
sample  of  the  tea  he  wishes  to  match  to  several  wholesalers, 
with  the  request  that  they  forward  to  him  samples  of  a  match 
for  it,  or  for  a  grade  higher  or  lower.  With  these  he  can 
experiment  to  his  heart's  content,  and  can  prove  his  own 
progression  in  the  art  of  tea-testing.  He  will  have,  in  the 
samples  so  obtained,  the  opinions  of  several  tea-experts  to 
guide  him  in  the  test,  which  will  be  of  great  benefit  and  ad- 
vantage. This  piece  of  advice  is,  of  course,  confidential. 

The  examination  of  the  two  teas  has  not  yet  been  com- 
pleted; there  yet  remains  an  inspection  of  the  leaf,  that  is, 
of  the  leaf  which  has  been  unfolded  in  the  infusion.  Take 
a  spoonful  out  of  the  first  cup  and  spread  them  out;  note  their 
size,  form,  uniformity  and  color.  The  leaves  of  a  high-grade 
tea  are  quite  small  and  a  great  many  of  them  are  unbroken. 
Of  course  it  cannot  be  expected  that  the  unbroken  leaves  will 
be  of  equal  size;  such  a  thing  would  be  a  physical  impossi- 
bility, but  they  will  be,  in  a  high-grade  tea,  perfectly  formed 
and  fairly  uniform  in  size.  The  color  should  be  natural,  or 
very  close  to  natural,  and  the  tiny  veins  should  show  up  to 
advantage.  The  broken  leaves  should  prove  to  be  the  greater 
portion  of  a  whole  leaf,  and  both  broken  and  whole  leaves 
should  show  perfect  corrugations  or  serrations  at  the  edges. 

On  the  other  hand,  to  go  to  extremes  again,  the  low-grade 
leaf  is  quite  large  in  size,  quite  dark  in  color,  suggesting  a 
rank  growth;  ragged,  broken  and  quite  irregular  instead  of 
uniform  in  size,  so  that  the  size  of  the  infused  leaf  will  give 
a  fair  estimate  of  the  age  of  the  leaf  at  the  time  that  it  was 
picked,  while  its  condition  and  its  liquor-color  will  give  a  fair 


HOW  TO  TEST  TEAS.  189 

estimate  of  the  time  which  has  elapsed  since  it  was  picked  and 
fired. 

Now  take  a  spoonful  out  of  the  second  cup  and  spread 
them  out.  Which  sample  has  the  smaller  leaf;  the  brighter 
leaf-color;  which  the  least . quantity  of  stemmy,  stalky  or 
broken  leaves  ?  Which  of  the  two  shows  up  in  this  last  test  to 
the  better  advantage  ?  Which,  after  having  taken  everything 
into  consideration,  gives  evidence  of  being  the  younger  leaf; 
the  better  tea  ? 

The  test  is  now  complete,  and  the  operator  may  look  to 
see  which  tea  is  his  own,  and  which  the  one  intended  as  a 
match;  the  slips  of  paper  hidden  beneath  the  dry  tea-leaves 
in  the  sample-pans  will  tell.  Now,  does  the  stranger  sample 
match?  Is  it  superior  or  inferior?  If  either,  the  process 
must  be  gone  through  again  with  some  other  sample,  for  a 
match  has  not  been  secured. 

It  is  always  best  to  match  up  a  stock  tea  as  closely  as 
possible,  for,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  and  as  already  inti- 
mated, there  are  many  consumers  who,  having  acquired  a  taste 
for  a  certain  tea,  will  accuse  the  dealer  of  giving  inferior  qual- 
ity if  he  changes  his  grade  for  the  better. 

The  time  occupied  in  making  the  above  test  is  very  much 
shorter  than  will,  naturally,  be  supposed  and,  in  the  event 
of  it  becoming  necessary  to  go  over  the  process  again,  the 
dealer  may  rest  assured  that  his  time  will  not  be  wasted,  for, 
with  each  test,  good  experience  will  be  gained;  knowledge 
will  be  acquired;  a  deeper  interest  will  be  awakened;  and 
proof  will  be  forthcoming  that  the  operator's  senses  of  smell, 
taste,  sight  and  touch  can  be  put  to  commercial  use  and  to  his 
personal  advantage.  The  interest  in  testing,  and  in  teas,  will 
grow,  and  with  it  will  come  practice;  practice  will  surely  de- 
velop the  acuteness  of  the  four  senses  involved,  and  beget 
good  judgment. 

Tea-testing  is,  at  first,  interesting;  becomes  fascinating, 


190  TEA   HINTS    FOR  RETAILERS. 

and  is  decidedly  profitable.  It  permits  the  retail  merchant 
to  protect  himself  fully  in  point  of  grades  and  values;  it 
assists  him  in  the  selection  of  teas  that  will  prove  to  be  suit- 
able to  the  water  of  his  district;  and  it  places  him  in  that 
position  where  he  can  keep  his  stock  uniform  and  suitable  at 
all  times. 

It  has  the  advantage,  also,  of  occupying  spare  time  to  a 
profitable  purpose,  and  of  providing  a  recreation,  without  loss 
of  time,  in  a  pleasurable  duty. 

Tea-testing  is  only  unhealthy  when  the  operator  is  con- 
fined to  the  table  at  all  times.  Experts,  who  make  a  living 
at  the  profession,  feel  the  effects  of  over-absorption  and  con- 
finement, but  there  is  absolutely  nothing  injurious  in  a  daily 
test  of  an  hour  or  so. 

The  real  worth  of  a  tea- test  by  the  cupping  process  rests 
in  the  ease  with  which  the  value  of,  and  the  difference  between 
two  or  more  teas  of  the  same  kind  may  be  determined. 

For  the  purpose  of  arriving  at  an  estimate  of  valu> 
well  as  of  discovering  the  differences  that  may  exist  between 
teas,  it  is,  of  course,  necessary  to  draw  teas  of  the  same  kin/I 
against  one  another,  so  that  the  test  may  have  the  opportunity 
of  showing  up  the  differences  in  individuality  and  in  the  qual- 
ifications of  teas  of  the  same  kind.  For  such  purposes  it  would 
be  useless  to  draw  teas  of  different  kinds  one  against  the 
other;  a  China  green,  for  instance,  against  a  China  black:  a 
Gunpowder  against  an  Indian;  a  Congou  against  a  Japan; 
for  the  difference  in  the  general  characteristics  of  teas  of 
different  makes  is  so  great  that  no  comparison  of  commercial 
values  can  be  made  in  this  way. 

To  draw  teas  of  different  kinds  against  each  other,  how- 
ever, would  tend  to  teach  the  novice  the  difference  in  liquor- 
color,  body,  strength,  aroma,  taste,  and  leaf  that  exists  be- 
tween teas  of  opposing  character,  and,  in  possession  of  such  a 
knowledge,  he  would  be  in  a  position  to  describe  the  varying 


HOW  TO  TEST  TEAS.  191 

characteristics  of  the  different  kinds  of  teas  with  more  exact- 
ness. 

The  question  "which  is  the  best  kind  of  tea  to  drink?" 
is  frequently  put  to  tea-dealers.  The  answer  to  such  a  ques- 
tion could  hardly  be  any  other  than  one  that  would  suggest 
the  advisability  of  judging  by  individual  liking  or  taste,  but, 
in  order  to  correctly  describe  the  difference  between  an  Oo- 
loong  and  a  Congou,  a  Gunpowder  and  a  Japan,  it  is  necessary 
to  know  the  difference,  and  be  able  to  describe  it.  In  the 
ordinary  course  of  tea-testing  such  differences  are  eventually 
learned,  but,  while  experiments  of  the  kind  are  never  made  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  a  determination  of  values,  a  few  tests 
of  this  nature  may  be  advocated  for  the  reasons  given  above. 

The  foregoing  description  of  a  tea-test  has  related,  as 
originally  stated,  to  light-liquoring  Japan  teas.  In  testing 
the  China  green  and  black  sorts,  Ooloongs,  Ceylons,  Indias, 
and  others,  the  same  procedure  is  necessary,  but  a  judgment 
in  all  cases  is  qualified  by  the  separate  characteristics  of  the 
kinds.  The  varied  characteristics  of  the  numerous  kinds  and 
innumerable  grades  of  teas  will  hardly  permit  of  accurate 
individual  descriptions  or  of  minute  comparisons,  for,  even 
were  an  attempt  of  this  kind  made,  but  little  good  would  be 
accomplished,  inasmuch  as  the  qualifications  of  teas  vary,  in 
a  measure,  with  each  succeeding  season.  Hard  and  fast  rules, 
therefore,  cannot  be  established  for  guidance  in  the  matter 
of  a  judgment  of  qualities  and  values.  The  beginner,  after 
having  mastered  the  general  principles  of  tea-testing,  will 
quickly  realize  that  the  value  of  a  tea  depends  more  upon 
its  drinking  qualities  than  upon  its  appearance  or  style.  Prac- 
tice with  the  different  kinds  of  teas  will  soon  teach  him  to 
distinguish  differences  in  drinking  qualities  as  well  as  in 
styles,  and,  this  end  accomplished,  the  rest  becomes  a  mere 
matter  of  experience,  which  cannot  be  obtained  from  a  printed 
page. 


192  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

The  retailer's  object  in  learning  to  test  teas  is  self-pro- 
tection in  that  he  may  know  for  himself  that  the  drinking 
qualities  and  appearance  of  his  chosen  teas  are  just  what  he 
wishes  them  to  be.  In  his  test  he  has  matched  the  goods  to 
his  own  satisfaction,  yet  he  will  find  it  difficult  to  state  wheth- 
er his  Congou  is  a  Ning-chow  or  a  Foo-chow;  his  Gunpowder 
a  Moyune  or  a  Hoo-chow ;  his  Japan  a  Kobe  or  a  Yokohama. 
Such  distinctions  in  the  classification  of  individual  kinds  aiv, 
however,  important,  for  a  Ping-suey  Gunpowder  cannot  be 
expected  to  match  a  Moyune;  or  a  Paklum  Congon  to  match 
a  Xing-chow,  etc.  Experience  with  the  different  district  tea- 
or  classes  of  individual  kinds,  alone  will  teach  the  differences, 
and  in  his  inexperience,  or  until  experience  has  been  acquired, 
it  will  be  for  the  beginner's  best  interest  to  find  out  by  in- 
quiry the  exact  classification  of  the  different  kinds  of  teas  he 
is  using,  so  that,  when  requesting  samples  from  wholesale- 
houses  for  the  purpose  of  testing  and  matching  with  a  view 
to  practice  or  to  purchase,  he  may  be  able  to  exactly  specify 
the  district  or  distinguishing  names  of  the  teas  desired. 


?$^$Z:MCW  -V'*  •  '• 

"m^mmm^ 


CHAPTER   VI. 

WHERE  TO  BUY  TEAS. 

To  purchase  teas  intelligently,  that  is,  to  know  at  the 
time  of  purchase  that  the  value  is  there,  and  that  the  goods 
are  just  what  they  should  be,  is  one  of  the  many  difficulties 
connected  with  the  tea-business  with  which  the  inexperienced 
retail  dealer  has  to  contend. 

Few  retailers  have  the  time  or  opportunity  to  make  a 
study  of  teas,  or  to  analyze  the  various  tea-problems  that 
come  before  them  from  time  to  time  in  a  business  way,  and, 
owing  to  the  consequent  lack  of  knowledge,  are  in  no  position 
to  protect  themselves  in  the  matters  of  grade,  suitability  and 
value  when  purchasing.  Few  are  able  to  examine  a  tea,  as  it 
should  be  examined  in  order  to  form  an  opinion  of  its  merits, 
and  fewer  still  are  capable  of  putting  a  sample  to  the  several 
commercial  tests,  and  of  passing  judgment  upon  it,  or  upon 
its  suitability  as  a  match  for  the  grade  they  have  been  using 
and  wish  to  replace.  Grades  that  are,  in  reality,  far  apart  in 
value  look  very  much  alike  to  the  inexperienced  eye,  and  to 
purchase  from  a  judgment  of  the  style,  or  general  appearance 
of  the  dry  leaf,  is  more  than  likely  to  lead  to  serious  conse- 
quences, for  it  is  the  cup,  or  drinking,  qualities  that  go 
the  furthest  in  a  determination  of  the  value,  or  of  the  suita- 
bility of  a  tea. 

The  variety  of  kinds,  and  the  greater  variety  of  grades 
of  each  kind,  into  which  the  green  leaf  is  made;  the  lack  of 
general  knowledge  as  to  production  and  the  various  processes 
of  manufacture;  the  great  difficulty  of  placing  an  exact,  or 
true,  value  upon  the  commercial  leaf ;  and  the  want  of  knowl- 
edge as  to  cup-testing  are  all  important  factors  which  com- 


194  TEA  HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

bine  to  make  tea  a  most  difficult  article  to  purchase,  and,  for 
these  reasons,  the  dealer  will  be  prepared  to  admit  that  the 
flavory  leaf  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  articles  to  purchase 
intelligently  of  all  the  long  list  of  goods  carried  in  a  modern 
grocery  stock. 

A  merchant  can  readily  judge  between  a  good  cigar  and 
a  poor  one  by  examination,  or  by  smoking;  he  may  also  ex- 
amine and  taste  a  sample  of  canned  fruit,  or  vegetables,  and 
form  a  very  fair  estimate  of  the  worth  of  either ;  he  can  easily 
test  a  sample  of  vinegar,  or  try  the  butter  which  is  offered  to 
him,  and  arrive  at  a  satisfactory  conclusion  with  regard  to  the 
value  of  these  goods;  in  fact,  he  is  able  to  judge,  with  some 
degree  of  accuracy,  as  to  the  quality  and  value  of  nearly  every 
article  he  carries.  In  addition  to  his  own  experience  and 
knowledge  he  can  consult  the  numerous  trade  journals  and 
reports  which  are  regularly  published  and  keep  himself  care- 
fully posted  as  to  the  ups  and  downs  of  any  article  that  is 
subject  to  market  fluctuations,  or  is  regulated,  in  price,  by 
season,  or  by  the  law  of  supply  and  demand,  and,  by  so  do- 
ing, he  is  prepared,  before  buying,  with  a  good  knowledge  as 
to  the  market  values  of  staple,  fancy  or  proprietary  goods. 

But  in  the  purchase  of  tea  it  is  all  very  different;  for, 
without  personal  experience  and  knowledge,  he  has  nothing 
upon  which  he  can  depend  to  aid  him  in  his  judgment;  no 
guide  that  will  even  assist  him  in  making  a  determination; 
therefore  there  is  nothing  left  to  him  until  knowledge  is  ac- 
quired, but  to  rely  upon  the  experience,  and,  of  more  im- 
portance yet,  upon  the  integrity  of  the  seller.  It  is  true  that 
he  will  find  tea  quotations  in  many  of  the  trade  journals,  but 
these  quotations  are,  because  of  the  actual  impossibility  to 
make  them  otherwise,  very  indefinite,  and,  therefore,  prac- 
tically valueless,  if  not  misleading. 

Trade  journal  tea-price  lists  usually  quote  Oriental  grad- 
ings,  and  with  these  the  retailer  is  not  familiar.  These  grad- 


WHERE  TO  BUY  TEAS.  195 

ings  are  known  as  "Fancy"  "Extra  Choicest"  "Choicest" 
"Choice"  "Finest"  "Fine"  "Good  Medium"  "Medium'' 
"Good  Common"  "Common"  and  others,  but  where  the  line 
is  to  be  drawn  between  a  "choicest"  grade  and  a  "choice ;"  or 
between  a  "good  medium"  and  a  "medium"  is  most  difficult 
for  the  retailer  to  determine.  Even  if  he  could  be  guided  by 
these  quotations,  the  gradings  will  not  advise  him  as  to  cup 
qualities,  for  the  "choice"  grade  of  one  importer  is  not  at  all 
likely  to  match  the  "choice"  grade  of  another  importer  in  the 
cup,  even  if  it  does  match  fairly  well  in  style,  for  all  importers 
do  not  purchase  from  the  same  tea-growing  districts,  or  from 
the  same  manufacturing  firms  in  Japan,  /or  exporters  in 
China  and  elsewhere.  In  the  Orient,  where  the  grading  of 
the  manufactured  leaf  is  made,  these  terms,  which  are  in- 
tended to  define  the  gradings,  are  understood;  in  fact  they 
are  terms  used  by  Oriental  commission  houses  and  exporters 
in  making  their  quotations  to  importers  in  the  various  coun- 
tries where  teas  are  sold.  To  make  use  of  these  terms  to  the 
retailer  is,  therefore,  useless,  for,  even  if  understood,  they  are 
no  guide  to  one  who  wishes  to  purchase  teas  intelligently. 

The  many  and  varied  difficulties  in  the  way  of  purchas- 
ing teas  with  an  accurate  knowledge  of  what  is  being  done, 
have  long  been  recognized  by  the  retail  trade,  and  the  prac- 
tice of  relying  upon  the  seller's  judgment,  or  upon  his  brands, 
has  resulted ;  a  practice  which,  although  it  may  be  advantage- 
ous in  many  ways,  can  hardly  be  called  a  business  proposition, 
and  inasmuch,  therefore,  as  the  practice  has  become  so  gen- 
eral, and  the  unbusiness-like  nature  of  it  fully  recognized,  an 
analysis  of  the  position  of  the  retailer  in  his  connection  with, 
and  dependence  upon,  the  wholesaler,  will,  no  doubt,  be  in- 
teresting. 

For  the  sake  of  argument,  but  more  particularly  for  the 
purpose  of  analyzing  the  retailer's  position  in  the  premises, 
we  will  assume  that  he,  as  a  buyer,  knows  very  little  about 


196  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

teas,  or  about  tea-values;  we  will  concede  that  he  is  in  no 
position  to  protect  himself,  and  that  he  is  forced,  by  the  ex- 
igencies of  the  case,  to  place  himself  absolutely  in  the  hands 
of  the  seller.  We  will  acknowledge,  also,  that  the  purchase 
of  his  regular  tea-supply  is  a  matter  of  simple  confidence  in 
the  wholesaler's  ability  and  willingness  to  act  fairly  and  in- 
telligently in  the  transaction;  to  ship  a  suitable  grade  of 
goods,  and  give  an  even  value  for  the  price  charged. 

Looking  at  such  a  situation  from  a  strictly  business 
standpoint  we  must  admit  that  it  is  a  poor  one  for  any  in- 
telligent buyer  to  be  placed  in,  but  it  is,  in  reality,  the  posi- 
tion in  which  many  thousands  of  retailers  find  themselves, 
and  one  in  which  they  are  likely  to  continue  to  find  themselves 
until  ample  study  of  the  subject  has  been  made,  and  that 
knowledge  and  experience  gained  which  is  sufficient  to  pro- 
tect, where  protection  is  needed. 

In  the  tea-trade  there  are  two  recognized  competitive 
classes  of  wholesalers,  both  of  which  are  continuously  striving, 
one  with  the  other,  for  the  trade  of  the  retailer;  and  it  is 
the  custom  of  each,  in  the  furtherance  of  individual  interests, 
to  present  arguments  such  as  are  likely  to  be  conclusive,  or, 
at  least,  sound  enough  to  influence  the  judgment  of  the  dealer, 
and  gain  his  order. 

The  arguments  and  claims  set  forth  by  these  opposing 
classes,  are,  in  each  case,  strong,  well-advised,  and  calculated 
to  bring  results.  Each  is  thoroughly  convinced  that  his  claims 
for  recognition  by  the  dealer  are  more  worthy  of  considera- 
tion than  those  of  his  business  rival;  the  claims  of  both  bear 
the  imprint  of  truth;  are  reasonable  and  sound  from  a  busi- 
ness standpoint,  as  far  as  they  go,  and  it  is,  therefore,  a 
difficult  matter  for  the  dealer  to  judge  between  them. 

In  order  to  canvass  the  matter  thoroughly  and  arrive, 
if  possible,  at  a  satisfactory  conclusion  in  so  far  as  the  indi- 
vidual interests  of  the  retailer  are  concerned,  it  will  be  neces- 


WHERE  TO  BUY  TEAS.  197 

/' 

sary  to  quote,  and  then  to  examine,  these  claims  and  argu- 
ments at  length,  at  the  same  time,  giving  to  each  class  the 
consideration  to  which  it  is  entitled. 

In  this  connection,  and"  before  an  analysis  of  the  claims 
and  arguments  of  both  Wholesale  Grocer  and  Tea- Specialty 
House  is  attempted,  it  will  be  well  to  enter  a  protest  against 
the  habit  a  great  many  retailers  have  of  purchasing  tea  from 
the  first  salesman  who  happens  to  come  along.  Such  a  habit 
cannot  be  too  strongly  condemned,  not  for  the  reason  that 
the  retailer  is  apt  to  suffer  in  point  of  value,  but  for  the 
reason  that  promiscuous  buying  will  do  more  than  anything 
else  to  ruin  a  retail  tea-trade,  for  teas  should  be,  at  all  times, 
as  nearly  alike  as  possible;  an  impossibility  where  indiscrimi- 
nate or  hap-hazard  buying  is  done,  therefore,  if  the  retailer 
is  not  in  a  position  to  know  exactly  what  he  is  doing,  it  is  to 
his  best  interest  to  confine  himself,  when  purchasing  teas,  to 
some  one  importer. 

THE  WHOLESALE  GROCER'S   CLAIMS   FOR 
RECOGNITION. 

ARGUMENT  No.  1. — The  Wholesale  Grocer  claims  that, 
being  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  Specialty  House  in  the 
tea-producing  markets  of  the  Orient,  he  is  able  to  import  his 
teas  at  an  equal  laid-in  cost,  and  is,  therefore,  at  no  disad- 
vantage in  this  respect. 

ARGUMENT  No.  2. — The  Wholesale  Grocer  claims  that 
he  has  a  decided  advantage  over  the  Specialty  House  which 
ships  to  the  retailer  from  a  long  distance,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  the  freight  on  teas  by  steamship  and  rail  from  Oriental 
shipping  points  is  about  equal  to  all  ports  of  entry  through- 
out the  United  States;  therefore  the  retailer,  who  purchases 
teas  from  far-away  home  markets,,  has  a  heavy  rate  of  local 


198  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

freight  to  pay,  even  if  laid-down  prices  are  made;  against  a 
trifling  rate  from  his  natural,  that  is,  his  home  jobbing 
market. 

ARGUMENT  No.  3.— The  Wholesale  Grocer  claims  that, 
although  he  may  not  carry  so  extensive  a  stock,  or  so  great  a 
variety  of  grades,  as  some  Specialty  houses  do,  he,  at  least, 
carries  a  stock  and  variety  of  grades  sufficiently  large  and  ex- 
tensive to  supply  the  full  needs  of  any,  or  all,  of  the  retail 
houses  tributary  to  the  jobbing  point  at  which  he  is  located. 

ARGUMENT  No.  4. — The  Wholesale  Grocer  claims  that 
selling  expenses,  that  is,  the  salaries  and  traveling  expenses 
of  salesmen,  are  a  part  of  the  cost,  and,  as  such,  must  be 
added  to  the  laid-in  cost  of  the  goods  he  sells ;  and,  that  inas- 
much as  his  salesmen  have  a  much  greater  variety  of  goods 
to  offer  and  sell,  their  individual  sales  must,  necessarily,  l>e 
much  greater  in  dollars  and  cents  than  the  individual  sales 
of  the  salesmen  of  the  Specialty  house;  hence  his  percentage 
of  selling  cost  to  be  added  to  the  laid-in  cost  of  teas  is  much 
less  than  that  of  the  Specialty  house,  and  he  is,  therefore, 
able  to  figure  that  much  closer  in  making  his  selling  prices. 

ARGUMENT  No.  5. — The  Wholesale  Grocer  claims  to  have 
an  advantage  over  his  business  rival  in  the  fact  that  he  is 
near  to,  and,  at  all  times,  in  close  touch  with  his  customer; 
that  he  has  made,  and  is  always  making,  or  ready  to  make,  an 
especial  study  of  his  customer's  requirements;  that  he  is  in 
a  better  position  to  judge  as  to  the  kinds,  grades  and  qualities 
most  suitable  to  the  demands  of  the  consumers  within  his 
business  jurisdiction;  and  that  he  is  able,  and  always  ready 
and  willing  to  advise  and  assist  the  retailer  in  the  selection  of 
teas  which  will  prove  to  be  satisfactory. 


WHERE   TO   BUY  TEAS.  199 

ARGUMENT  No.  6. — The  Wholesale  Grocer  claims  that  it 
is  never  his  intention  to  over-stock,  or  over-load,  a  customer 
with  teas,  as  many  Specialty  houses  attempt  to  do,  for,  being 
in  frequent  and  close  touch  with  the  retailer,  and  with  the 
community  in  which  the  business  is  done,  he  is  in  a  first 
class  position  to  realize  the  financial  conditions  prevailing  at 
all  times,  and  does  not  wish  to  see  a  patron  weighted  down 
with  an  unnecessarily  large  stock  under  any  conditions. 

ARGUMENT  No.  7. — The  Wholesale  Grocer  claims  that, 
although  indirectly,  it  is  certainly  to  the  retailer's  best  inter- 
est to  purchase  teas  from  him,  for  the  reason  that  to  do  so  will 
keep  the  trade  and  its  profits  at  home,  instead  of  sending  both 
to  some  far-away  point;  and  that  this  profit,  being  circulated 
at  home,  benefits  the  home  community  at  large,  the  retailer 
included. 

THE  SPECIALTY  TEA  HOUSE'S  CLAIMS  FOR 
RECOGNITION. 

ARGUMENT  No.  1. — On  the  other  hand  the  Specialty  Tea 
Jobber  claims  that  inasmuch  as  he  goes  to  the  Oriental  pur- 
chasing markets  with  a  much  larger  order  than  that  of  the 
Wholesale  Grocer,  he  is  in  a  position  to  command  lower  pur- 
chasing figures  and,  in  consequence,  is  able  to  quote  lower 
prices,  on  equal  grades,  to  the  retailer. 

ARGUMENT  No.  2. — The  Specialty  Jobber  claims  that 
he  is  "first  hands,"  that  is,  that  he  buys  his  teas  directly  in 
the  Oriental  markets,  and  sells  them  directly  to  the  retailer, 
so  that,  by  purchasing  from  him,  the  retailer  saves  the  "mid- 
dle man's"  profit;  that  is,  the  profit  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer. 

ARGUMENT  No.  3. — The  Specialty  Jobber  claims  that  his 


200  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

stock  is  larger,  and  is  composed  of  a  greater  variety  of  grades 
than  that  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer,  and,  in  consequence,  he 
is  able  to  show  a  stronger  line  for  the  retailer  to  select  from, 
and  to  supply  all  of  his  demands  to  a  much  better  advantage. 

ARGUMENT  No.  4. — The  Specialty  Jobber  claims  that  he 
makes  a  greater  specialty  of  teas  than  the  Wholesale  Grocer; 
that  his  knowledge  of  the  trade  is  greater ;  and  that  his  stock 
is  selected  to  better  advantage.  For  these  reasons  he  claims 
to  be  in  a  superior  position,  and  can  go  before  the  retailer  with 
a  greater  knowledge  of  his  requirements,  and  fill  his  orders 
with  goods  that  are  better  calculated  to  please  in  point  of 
quality,  suitability,  uniformity,  and  price. 

ARGUMENT  No.  5. — The  Specialty  Jobber  claims  that  his 
salesmen  are,  upon  the  average,  better  educated  in  the  line; 
are  much  better  posted  upon  the  subject  of  teas  generally 
than  the  salesmen  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer;  and  are,  there- 
fore, in  a  position  to  talk  more  intelligently  upon  the  subject 
with  the  retailer;  are  more  able  to  match  up  teas  or  samples, 
and  supply  him  with  grades  more  suitable  to  his  requirements. 

ARGUMENT  No.  6. — The  Specialty  Jobber  claims  that 
the  Wholesale  Grocer  is  compelled  to  get  a  large  profit  on  his 
line  of  teas  in  order  to  "average  up"  the  small  margin  of 
profit  which  he  makes  on  staple  groceries;  while  he,  on  the 
other  hand,  having  nothing  but  teas,  or  teas,  coffees,  and 
spices  to  sell,  is  not  placed  in  such  a  position,  and,  having  no 
small  profit  goods  to  "average  up"  upon,  he  can  the  better  af- 
ford to  sell  teas  at  a  smaller  margin  of  profit. 


These  are  a  few  of  the  stronger  claims  and  arguments 
which  are  frequently  advanced  by  the  opposing  classes  of  tea- 


WHERE  TO  BUY  TEAS.  201 

wholesalers  when  attempting  to  influence  the  judgment  of  the 
retailer  in  an  endeavor  to  win  his  favor  and  secure  his  trade. 
It  must,  however,  be  fully  understood  that  the  wording,  as 
used  above,  is  simply  illustrative  of  the  positions  assumed  by 
each  class,  and  that  the  arguments,  when  offered,  are  not  at 
all  likely,  for  obvious  reasons,  to  be  expressed  in  identical 
language.  The  import,,  however,  of  the  several  claims  will  be 
found  to  be  identical  with  that  expressed  above,  so  that,  for 
the  sake  of  an  analysis  of  the  claims,  it  may  safely  be  taken 
for  granted  that  the  above  wording  correctly  indicates,  at 
least,  the  positions  assumed  by  both  Wholesale  Grocer  and 
Specialty  Jobber. 

In  whatever  form,  or  in  whatever  language  they  may  be 
put  before  the  retailer,  it  must  be  admitted  that  such  claims 
for  recognition,  when  advanced  by  the  bright  representatives 
of  the  respective  classes,  are  not  easy  to  verify  or  deny,  and, 
although  the  retailer,  in  his  position  of  buyer,  is  frequently 
favored  with  both  sides  of  the  question,  he  finds  it,  after  all, 
extremely  difficult  to  choose  between  them,  and  arrive  at  a 
satisfactory  solution  of  the  problem,  and  so  the  representatives 
of  each  class  continue  to  obtain  a  proportion  of  the  trade.  In 
view  of  this  it  may  be  interesting  as  well  as  profitable  to  at- 
tempt to  analyze  the  arguments  of  each,  an<J,  in  order  to  do  so 
with  greater  ease,  it  will  be  well  to  quote  the  arguments  again 
in  their  order. 

ARGUMENT  No.  1. — The  Wholesale  Grocer  claims  that, 
being  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  Specialty  House  in  the  tea- 
purchasing  markets  of  the  Orient,  he  is  able  to  import  his  teas 
at  an  equal  laid-in  cost,  and  is,  therefore,  at  no  disadvantage 
in  this  respect. 

This  claim  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer  would  appear  to  be 
altogether  a  matter  of  circumstance.  If  he  is  in  a  position  to 


202  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

go  to  the  Oriental  tea-markets  with  as  large  an  order  as  that 
of  his  business  rival,  he  can  command,  at  least,  equal  prices, 
for  the  commission  men  of  Japan,  and  the  exporters  of  China, 
India  and  Ceylon  are  no  respecters  of  trade-classes.  If,  on 
the  other  hand,  his  order  is  for  small  quantities  of  varied 
kinds  and  grades  of  Japan  teas,  or  for  the  choice,  or  for 
broken  lots  of  Chinese  chops,  he  can  hardly  expect  to  make 
good  his  claim,  although  much  will  depend  upon  the  ability 
and  general  knowledge  of  his  tea-department  manager. 

It  is  not  a  very  difficult  matter  for  a  tea-buyer  in  this 
country  to  purchase  suitable  teas  in  the  several  Oriental  mar- 
kets. It  is  true  that  the  conditions  which  exist  in  the  different 
producing  countries  create  different  methods  of  doing  business, 
but  so  many  facilities  for  buying  teas  to  advantage  are  offered 
by  the  European  and  American  manufacturers  of  Japan ;  ex- 
porters of  China,  and  grower-manufacturers  of  India  and 
Ceylon,  with  whom  the  business  is  done,  that  few  American 
importers,  whether  Wholesale  Grocers  or  Specialty  Houses,  are 
wanting  in  knowledge  or  opportunity  in  this  respect. 

In  Japan  there  are  a  number  of  European,  American 
and  Japanese  firms  whose  sole  business  is  to  take  care  of 
their  American  clients.  These  firms  are  prepared  to  purchase 
native-leaf  for  the  account  of  American  importers,  upon  a 
commission  basis,  or  otherwise,  and  are  prepared,  also,  to 
manufacture  the  leaf  into  any  desired  make  and  style  of  com- 
mercial tea,  and  pack  the  finished  product  into  chests,  or 
packages,  of  any  size  or  weight. 

American  orders  placed  with  Japan  houses  are  usually 
accompanied  by  standards,  or  samples,  of  the  various  makes 
and  grades  to  be  matched;  and  by  limits  of  price  per  lb.,  or 
per  picul — 133^  Ibs. — these  limits  being  the  maximum 
figures  which  the  purchaser  is  willing  to  pay  for  each  kind 
and  grade  in  order  to  secure  as  close  a  match  for  his  stand- 
ards as  the  coming  season  will  permit.  Limits  of  price  are 


WHERE  TO  BUY  TEAS.  203 

made  in  accordance  with  the  knowledge  the  purchaser  has  of 
the  conditions  existing  in  Japan  at  the  time  that  the  order 
is  placed,  and  are  very  necessary  to  the  Japan  house,  but, 
inasmuch  as  orders  for  new  crop  teas  are  usually  placed  in 
Japan  before  the  crop  is  ready  to  be  picked,  conditions  may 
arise  which  will  advance  anticipated  costs,  in  which  case  the 
purchaser  is  notified  by  cable  so  that  he  may  have  the  oppor- 
tunity of  increasing  his  limits  accordingly.  The  matter  is 
then  left  entirely  to  the  service  of  the  Japan  house;  teas  to 
match  the  purchaser's  standards  of  quality  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage are  selected  by  it  from  the  incoming  volume  of  na- 
tive-leaf, and  at  costs  at,  or  as  much  below  the  limits  as  pos- 
sible. The  Japan  house  then  manipulates  the  native-leaf  and 
produces  a  tea  exactly  in  accordance  with  the  purchaser's  in- 
structions as  regards  make,  style,  finish,  color,  fire,  etc.; 
packs  the  finished  product  into  chests,  boxes,  or  packages  as 
required  by  the  purchaser  and  forwards  the  goods  by  steamer, 
together  with  invoice  showing  prices  paid  for  the  native-leaf; 
the  firing,  boxing,  matting,  labeling,  rattaning,  export  duty, 
marine  insurance,  purchasing  commissions  and  other  sundry 
charges  added. 

The  majority  of  Japan  exporting  commission  houses  own 
and  operate  separate  "go-downs"  or  tea-firing  and  -preparing 
establishments,  and  the  product  of  each  is  usually  so  very 
characteristic  that  it  is  an  easy  matter  for  tea-men  in  this 
country  to  distinguish  the  make  or  "fire"  of  one  "go-down" 
from  that  of  another.  American  tea-importers  are  usually 
familiar  with  the  characteristic  make,  fire  and  style  of  teas 
turjied  out  by  the  several  Japan  houses ;  are  capable  of  judg- 
ing in  the  matters  of  quality,  suitability  and  value;  and  are 
informed  as  to  the  general  reputation  which  each  house  bears, 
so  that  it  is  a  simple  matter  for  them  to  place  their  business 
where,  experience  teaches,  it  will  be  taken  care  of  in  the 
matters  of  quality,  uniformity  and  price. 


204  TEA   HINTS   FOR   RETAILERS. 

Japan  commission  houses  are  mainly  well  established; 
have  the  reputation  of  understanding  their  business,  and  of 
being  perfectly  reliable  in  every  way.  It  is  to  their  very  best 
interest  to  do  everything  in  their  power  for  their  customer's 
benefit,  for  not  only  have  they  the  business  of  succeeding  years 
to  take  into  consideration,  but  they  are  well  aware  of  the  fact 
that  the  importer  will  have  every  opportunity  of  matching  up 
the  teas  shipped  with  those  of  other  "firers,"  and  be  able  to 
check  them  up  in  point  of  quality  and  cost,  so  that  it  is  not 
unreasonable  to  expect  that  Wholesale  Grocers  and  Special tv 
Houses  fare  equally  well  at  their  hands. 

In  the  purchase  of  native-leaf,  however,  an  element  of 
chance  occurs,  and  it  is  a  chance  which  has  to  be  taken 
equally  by  the  Wholesale  Grocer  and  the  Specialty  Jobber. 
This  chance  occurs  at  the  time  at  which  the  Japan  house 
makes  the  purchase  of  raw-leaf  for  the  account  of  its  Ameri- 
can customer.  By  purchasing  a  few  days  earlier,  or  a  few 
days  later,  from  the  incoming  volume  of  tea-leaf  owned  by 
natives,  a  saving  in  cost,  or  the  reverse,  may  occur,  for  it  is 
not  easy  to  catch  the  market  at  its  bottom  figure,  or  to  ob- 
tain the  lowest  rate  of  monetary  exchange;  but  the  Japan 
buyers  are  expert,  and  are  apt  to  do  all  possible  in  this,  as 
in  other  respects,  for  their  customers.  For  these  reasons  it  is 
possible  for  one  house  to  own  its  imported  stock  at  a  lower 
cost  than  another,  but  both  Wholesale  Grocer  and  Specialty 
Jobber  have  to,  and  do,  take  equal  chances  in  this  respect. 

In  China,  teas  are  usually  purchased  in  "chops/'  or  in 
smaller  lots,  through  European,  or  American  exporting  firms 
established  at  the  treaty  ports  of  that  country.  American 
importers  of  both  classes  have  equal  rights  in  Chinese  mar- 
kets; the  exporters  are  actuated  by  a  desire  to  please,  so  that 
future  trade  may  come  their  way;  competition  among  ex- 
porters established  in  China  for  the  trade  of  the  American 
importer  is  strong  enough  to  prevent  serious  overcharges,  and, 


WHERE  TO  BUY  TEAS.  205 

for  these  reasons,  the  buyer  for  the  Wholesale  Grocer  has  an 
equal  chance  to  purchase  at  bed-rock  figures  with  the  buyer 
for  the  Specialty  Jobber. 

A  small  order  for  Japan  tea  cannot  be  purchased,  fired, 
and  prepared  as  cheaply  as  a  large  order,  and  a  choice  of,  or 
a  selection  of  lines  from  a  chop  of  China  teas,  cannot  be  pur- 
chased at  a  price  equal  to  that  of  the  cost  grading  of  the  same 
teas  were  the  entire  chop  taken,  so  that  the  size  of  the  order, 
in  either  case,  makes  some  difference  in  the  matter  of  cost. 

Wholesale  Grocers,  however,  owing  to  the  lesser  variety 
of  grades  in  use  in  their  selling  districts,  are  usually  in  a  po- 
sition to  purchase  heavily  of  a  few  particular  grades,  that  is, 
of  grades  suitable  to  the  requirements  of  their  districts,  and 
the  size  of  such  orders,  as  well  as  the  lesser  difficulty  ex- 
perienced by  the  Oriental  house  in  filling  them,  is  usually 
great  enough  to  place  Wholesale  Grocers  upon  an  equality  in 
the  purchasing  markets  with  their  trade  rivals,  whose  orders, 
although  larger  in  quantity,  are  much  more  varied  and,  con- 
sequently, more  difficult  to  execute. 

The  Wholesale  Grocer,  therefore,  having  equal  rights 
in  the  Oriental  markets,  and  being  in  a  position  to  purchase 
certain  grades  in  quantities  large  enough  to  command  equal 
prices,  is,  as  he  claims,  upon  an  equal  footing  with  the  Spe- 
cialty Jobber,  and,  for  this  reason,  it  cannot  be  truthfully 
claimed  by  either  class  that  it  has  an  advantage  over  the  other 
in  the  tea-purchasing  markets  abroad. 

ARGUMENT  No.  2. — The  Wholesale  Grocer  claims  that  he' 
has  a  decided  advantage  over  the  Specialty  house  which  ships 
to  the  retailer  from  a  long  distance,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
the  freight  on  teas  by  steamship  and  rail  from  Oriental  ship- 
ping points  is  about  equal  to  all  ports  of  entry  throughout 
the  United  States;  therefore  the  retailer,  who  purchases  teas 
from  far-away  home  markets,  has  a  heavy  rate  of  local  freight 


206  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS, 

i 

to  pay,  even  if  laid-down  prices  are  made;  against  a  trifling 
rate  from  his  natural,  that  is,  his  home  jobbing  market. 

This  argument  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer  is  a  strong  one, 
but  obtains  only  as  against  the  Specialty  Jobber  whose  ship- 
ping point  is  at  a  distance. 

The  freight  rate  on  teas  from  Oriental  ports,  steamer  and 
rail,  to  any  port  of  entry  within  the  United  States,  or  Canada, 
is  remarkably  low,  so  low,  indeed,  that  it  is  an  expense  which 
can  hardly  be  taken  into  account  as  against  the  heavy  long  dis- 
tance local  first-class  railroad  freight  rates  ruling  in  this 
country.  Instances  have  been  known  where  the  steamer  and 
rail  freight  charges  from  the  Orient  to  any  port  of  entry  with- 
in the  United  States  have  amounted  to  less  than  one  cent  per  Ib. 
gross,  and  where,  also,  the  rate  on  through  bill-of-lading  was 
about  equal  at  San  Francisco,  Tacoma,  Missouri  River  points, 
Chicago,  St.  Louis,  and  New  York.  These  low  freight  rates 
are  caused  by  a  heavy  steamship  competition  for  the  carrying 
trade  of  teas  to  this  country,  and  by  an  equal  desire  upon  the 
part  of  transcontinental  railways  for  the  business,  so  it  can 
be  safely  stated,  that  teas,  under  usual  circumstances,  lay 
down  at  New  York,  or  at  any  interior  jobbing  point,  at  about 
the  same  cost  of  freight  as  they  do  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 

Sea-board  cities  on  all  coasts  have  a  slight  advantage 
over  inland  cities  in  the  matter  of  freight  rates  when  con- 
signments of  teas  are  shipped  by  tramp  ocean-going  steam- 
ers, or  sailing  vessels  whose  owners  have  no  connection  with 
the  railway  companies,  for  the  rates  of  freight  charged  by 
such  carriers  are  lower  than  those  charged  by  the  regular 
steamship  lines.  It  is  not  often,  however,  that  anything  but 
the  lowest  grades  of  teas  are  entrusted  to  such  uncertain  ar- 
rivals, for  the  great  desire  of  all  importers  to  be  in  the  market 
early  with  new  teas  overcomes  the  desire  to  make  this  slight 
saving  in  freight. 


WHERE  TO  BUY  TEAS.  207 

The  claim  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer  that  his  freight  cost 
is  equal  to  the  freight  cost  of  his  competitor  at  a  far-away 
point  is  substantiated  by  the  facts  in  the  case,  and  the  claim 
that  the  retailer  who  purchases  from  a  far-away  home  mar- 
ket has  a  heavy  local  rate  of  freight  to  pay  against  a  trifling 
rate  from  his  natural  market  is  also  substantiated  by  facts, 
for,  although  laid-down  prices  may  be  made  by  the  far-away 
Specialty  house,  it  is  quite  likely  that  the  freight  or,  at  least, 
a  part  of  it  has  been  added  to  the  invoice  cost  of  the  goods. 
It  cannot,  however,  be  stated  that  the  Wholesale  Grocer  does 
not  take  the  benefit  of  this  important  advantage  in  his  favor, 
for  it  would  only  be  a  legitimate  business  proposition  to  do 
so.  The  keen  competition  for  the  trade  of  the  retailer,  how- 
ever, would  appear  to  justify  the  conclusion  that  such  is  not 
always  the  case,  but  whether  he  takes  the  benefit  of  the  ad- 
vantage, or  not,  does  not  alter  the  fact  that  he  has  the  advan- 
tage, and  may  use  it  for  the  benefit  of  his  customer,  or  not,  as 
he  pleases.  As  already  intimated,  the  Wholesale  Grocer  has 
no  advantage  in  the  matter  of  freight  rates  from  the  Orient 
over  a  Specialty  Jobber,  located  at,  or  near,  the  Wholesale 
Grocer's  shipping  point,  for,  in  such  a  case,  freight  rates 
would  be  equal  to  the  retailer's  railway  station. 

It  certainly  appears  strange  that  the  facts  relating  to 
freight  rates  from  Oriental  points  to  America  are  not  more 
generally  understood,  and  it  appears  stranger  yet  that  so  many 
retailers  insist  upon  purchasing  teas  from  a  distance,  when, 
under  ordinary  circumstances,  equal  invoice  prices  and  equal 
values  could  be  obtained  from  Wholesale  Grocers  or  Specialty 
Jobbers  near  at  hand,  and  the  saving  of  heavy  local  freights 
made.  In  this  connection  it  may  be  said  that  it  would  be  of 
great  benefit  to  all  concerned  were  comparisons  of  values  to 
be  made,  for  if  the  trade  of  a  state  can  be  held  within  the 
confines  of  that  state,  great  mutual  benefit  would  result. 


208  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

ARGUMENT  No.  3. — The  Wholesale  Grocer  claims  that, 
although  he  may  not  carry  so  extensive  a  stock,  or  so  great  a 
variety  of  grades,  as  some  Specialty  houses  do,  he,  at  least, 
carries  a  stock  and  variety  of  grades  sufficiently  large  and  ex- 
tensive to  supply  the  full  needs  of  any  or  all  of  the  retail 
houses  tributary  to  the  jobbing  point  at  which  he  is  located. 

This  claim  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer  is  a  simple  statement 
of  facts,  and  is  used  only  as  a  proof  that  it  is  not  necessary  for 
him  to  carry  a  large  variety  of  grades  when  such  are  unsuitable 
to  his  working  territory.  The  trade  of  a  community  usually 
runs  evenly  enough  to  enable  a  Wholesale  Grocer  to  make  his 
purchases  in  sufficient  variety  to  meet  all  of  the  requirements 
of  any  portion  of  his  territory.  The  argument  is  used  to  offset 
the  claim  made  by  the  Specialty  Jobber  that  he  carries  a 
greater  variety  of  grades  for  the  retailer  to  choose  from,  and 
that  his  line  is  stronger  than  that  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer. 
Inasmuch,  however,  as  the  retailer  can  find  as  great  a  variety 
of  the  grades  in  use  in  his  territory  in  the  Wholesale  Grocer's 
stock  as  he  can  in  that  of  the  Specialty  Jobber,  it  would  appear 
that  the  claim  is  well  taken,  for  it  would  be  absurd  for  the 
Wholesale  Grocer  to  carry  a  stock  of  unsuitable  or  unsalable 
kinds  and  grades  merely  for  the  sake  of  strength  that  such  a 
procedure  would  show. 

ARGUMENT  No.  4 — The  Wholesale  Grocer  claims  that  sell- 
ing expenses,  that  is,  the  salaries  and  traveling  expenses  of 
salesmen,  are  a  part  of  the  cost,  and,  as  such,  must  be  added 
to  the  laid-in  cost  of  the  goods  he  sells;  and,  that,  inasmuch 
as  his  salesmen  have  a  much  greater  variety  of  goods  to  offer 
•  and  sell,  their  individual  sales  must,  necessarily,  be  much 
greater  in  dollars  and  cents  than  the  individual  sales  of  the 
salesmen  of  the  Specialty  house;  hence  his  percentage  of  sell- 
ing cost  to  be  added  to  the  laid-in  cost  of  teas  is  much  less  than 


WHERE  TO  BUY  TEAS.  209 

that  of  the  Specialty  house,  and  he  is,  therefore,  able  to  figure 
that  much  closer  in  making  his  selling  prices. 

This  argument  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer  is,  presumably, 
the  one  mostly  used  by  his  salesmen,  as,  upon  its  face,  it  would 
appear  to  be  the  most  effective  one.  The  expenses  incurred  in 
selling  goods,  that  is,  the  salaries  and  traveling  expenses  of 
salesmen,  must  necessarily — especially  in  a  wholesale  business 
—be  added  to  the  laid-in  cost ;  in  fact,  selling  expenses  are  as 
much  a  part  and  parcel  of  the  cost  as  freight  is.  It  is  really 
immaterial  to  which  ledger  account  a  wholesaler  charges  sell- 
ing expenses,  for,  whether  charged  to  Expense  account,  Trav- 
elers' account,  or  any  other  account,  they  will  ultimately  ap- 
pear upon  the  debit  side  of  the  separate  merchandise  account 
to  which  they  belong,  and  the  fact  remains  that  these  unavoid- 
able expenses  are  a  part  of  the  cost. 

The  Wholesale  Grocer's  claim  that  his  percentage  of  sell- 
ing cost  is  much  less  than  that  of  the  Specialty  Jobber  is  a 
reasonable  one,  and,  in  fact,  is  one  that  must  be  admitted,  for 
having  so  many  lines  to  sell,  his  sales  must  necessarily  average 
a  much  heavier  amount  in  dollars  and  cents  than  those  of  the 
Specialty  house,  and,  for  this  reason,  his  selling  cost  is  very 
materially  less. 

Such  being  the  case  it  naturally  follows  that,  in  the  event 
of  teas  being  of  an  originally  equal  laid-in  cost,  the  lesser  sell- 
ing cost  to  be  added  by  the  Wholesale  Grocer  io  the  laid-in 
cost,  makes  him  the  owner  of  his  tea-stock  at  a  less  cost  than 
that  of  the  Specialty  Jobber's,  so  that  the  claim  of  the  Whole- 
sale Grocer,  in  this  respect,  is  entirely  justified  by  facts.  The 
question  still  remains,  however,  as  to  whether  the  original  costs 
are  equal,  and,  if  so,  whether  the  Wholesale  Grocer  is  willing, 
or  not,  to  give  the  benefit  of  the  lower  cost  to  the  retailer. 

ARGUMENT  No.  5 — The  Wholesale  Grocer  claims  to  have 


210  TEA   HINTS   FOR   RETAILERS. 

an  advantage  over  his  business  rival  in  the  fact  that  he  is 
to,  and.  at  all  times,  in  close  touch  with  his  customer;  that  he 
has  made,  and  is  always  making,  or  ready  to  make,  an  especial 
study  of  his  customer's  requirements;  that  he  is  in  a  better 
position  to  judge  as  to  the  kinds,  grades,  and  qualities  most 
suitable  to  the  demands  of  the  consumers  within  his  6?/> 
jurisdiction;  and  that  he  is  able,  and  always  ready  and  willing, 
to  advise  and  assist  the  retailer  in  the  selection  of  teas  wh  ich 
will  prove  to  be  satisfactory. 

This  argument  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer  is,  beyond  doubt, 
a  feasible  one,  and,  to  the  retailer,  it  means,  perhaps,  a  great 
deal  more  than  is  usually  believed. 

Most  Wholesale  Grocers  have  the  personal  and  financial 
welfare  of  their  customers  very  much  at  heart ;  it  stands  to  rea- 
son that  they  should;  for,  outside  of  purely  personal  motiv-'s. 
the  retailer's  success  in  his  business  means  the  wholesaler's  suc- 
cess, and  it  is,  therefore,  reasonable  to  believe  that  a  stud}  of 
the  existing  relations  are,  at  all  times,  made  by  the  Wholesale 
Grocer.  That  he,  owing  to  his  close  proximity  to  the  retailer, 
and  to  the  consumers  of  the  retailer's  district,  is  in  a  first  de- 
position to  find  out  what  kinds,  grades,  and  qualities  are  most 
suitable  to  the  water,  and  other  existing  conditions,  is  beyond 
question,  and  it  is  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  an  up-to-date 
Wholesale  Grocer  will  fail  in  such  an  important  part  of  his 
business.  That  the  advice  and  able  assistance  of  a  Wholesale 
Grocer  can  always  be  obtained  is  a  foregone  conclusion.  It  is 
to  his  own  personal  interest  to  do  so,  for  he  has  the  future  trade 
of  his  customer  to  consider,  and  not  on  teas  alone,  but  on  the 
thousand  and  one  other  grocery  articles  which  he  carries,  and 
it  must,  therefore,  stand  to  reason  that  he  will  not  be  likely  to 
jeopardize  his  standing  with  a  customer  by  a  failure  to  advise 
and  assist  in  any  way  that  will  be  to  that  customer's  best  in- 
terest. 


WHERE  TO  BUY  TEAS.  211 

On  the  other  hand  the  Specialty  Jobber  is  actuated  in  a 
similar  manner.  He,  also,,  has  future  trade  to  consider,  and 
it  is  certainly  to  his  interest  to  take  as  great  a  care  of  his  cus- 
tomer as  he  possibly  can.  Now  comes  the  question  as  to  which 
class  of  seller  has  the  greater  self-interest  in  the  welfare  of  the 
retailer,  and  in  the  retailer's  future  trade?  The  Wholesale 
Grocer  with  his  large  line,  or  the  Specialty -Jobber  with  his 
specialties?  It  is  certainly  not  unreasonable  to  believe  that 
the  Wholesale  Grocer's  interest  is  the  greater,  and  that  his 
reasons  for  doing  the  best  he  can  in  the  above  respects  for  his 
customer  are  stronger  than  those  of  the  Specialty  Jobber. 

ARGUMENT  No.  6 — The  Wholesale  Grocer  claims  that  it  is 
never  his  intention  to  over-stock,  or  over-load,  a  customer  with 
teas,  as  many  Specialty  houses  attempt  to  do,  for  being  in  fre- 
quent and  close  touch  with  the  retailer,  and  with  the  com- 
munity in  which  the  business  is  done,  he  is  in  a  first  class  posi- 
tion to  realize  the  financial  conditions  prevailing  at  all  times, 
and  does  not  wish  to  see  a  patron  weighted  down  with  an  un- 
necessarily large  stock  under  any  conditions. 

This  claim  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer,  although  frequently 
made,  is,  at  least,  open  to  question.  The  fact  remains,  how- 
ever, that,  were  he  to  have  his  own  way  about  the  matter,  and 
were  the  competition  of  Specialty  Jobbers  less  keen,  he  would 
much  prefer  to  sell  teas  in  small  quantities,  and  at  more  fre- 
quent intervals,  for  he  fully  realizes  the  danger  of  deterioration 
when  large  quantities  are  purchased  by  the  retailer,  with  the 
consequent  damage  to  his  brand  and  to  his  reputation 
as  a  tea-house.  To  sell  in  quantity,  however,  ap- 
pears to  be  the  aim  of  both  classes,  and  as  long  as  one  of  them 
will  push  quantity  sales,  the  other  must.  Lower  prices  are  un- 
doubtedly secured  by  the  retailer  in  purchasing  in  larger  quan- 
tities, but  it  is  really  a  question  if  an  advantage  is  to  be  gained 


212  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

by  heavy  buying  at  lower  costs,  for  there  is  deterioration,  fall- 
ing markets,  interest,  insurance  and  other  charges  to  be  figured 
against  the  lesser  cost. 

Both  Wholesale  Grocers  and  Specialty  Jobbers  fully  real- 
ize this,  but  each  is  actuated  by  the  fear  that  the  other  will  fill 
a  customer  up  with  a  stock  sufficiently  large  to  last  for  many 
months,  and,  in  self  protection,  does  his  best  to  prevent  such  a 
possibility,  and  so  quantity  sales  are  pushed  by  both  classes, 
although  both  would  prefer,  were  it  possible,  to  sell  in  smaller 
quantity  and  more  frequently. 

Financial  reasons  out  of  the  question,  it  is  to  the  retailer's 
best  interests  to  purchase  frequently  and  in  small  quantity,  for 
teas  will  keep  to  a  much  better  advantage  in  the  well  appointed 
store-rooms  and  warehouses  of  the  wholesalers.  The  Whole- 
sale Grocer  fully  realizes  this,  and  the  expression  of  his  will- 
ingness never  to  over-stock  a  customer  is  influenced  by  the 
above  reason  as  well  as  by  financial  reasons,  and,  were  it  not 
for  the  fear  of  his  competitor,  it  is  safe  to  assert  that  he  would 
advocate  smaller  and  more  frequent  tea-purchases. 

ARGUMENT  No.  7. — The  Wholesale  Grocer  claims  that, 
although  indirectly,  it  is  certainly  to  the 'retailer's  best  interest 
to  purchase  teas  from  him,  for  the  reason  that  to  do  so  will 
keep  the  trade  and  its  profits  at  home,  instead  of  sending  both 
to  some  far-away  point;  and  this  profit,  being  circulated  at 
home,  benefits  the  home  community  at  large,  the  retailer  in- 
cluded. 

This  claim  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer  is  a  sound  one,  and 
good  as  far  as  it  goes,  for,  in  the  event  of  a  dealer  confining  his 
purchases  to  his  local  market,  the  profits  of  the  trade  are,  nec- 
essarily, kept  in  circulation  at  home  and  the  retailer  indirectly 
obtains  the  benefit. 

It  is  certainly  true  that  if  trading  were  confined  more 


WHERE  TO  BUY  TEAS.  213 

strictly  to  home  markets,  vast  benefit  would  be  derived  by  home 
communities,  and  a  much  greater  general  prosperity  ensue. 
So  long,  however,  as  the  retailer  exercises  his  undoubted  right 
to  purchase  away  from  home,"  and  to  send  the  profits  resulting 
from  the  trade  to  build  up  some  far-away  community,  just  so 
long  will  he  find  it  so  difficult  to  succeed,  and  as  soon  as  re- 
tailers learn  to  patronize  home  industry  and  home  institutions, 
trade  depressions  will  become  less  frequent ;  prosperity  become 
more  general,  and  a  happier  condition  of  men's  affairs  exist. 


The  arguments  and  claims  put  forth  by  the  exclusive  Tea 
Importer,  or  the  Tea,  Coffee  and  Spice  House,  are  as  well  wor- 
thy of  the  retailers'  consideration  as  those  of  the  Wholesale 
Grocer,  and  a  quotation  of  these  arguments  and  claims,  with 
a  discussion  of  their  merits  will  now  be  attempted.  , 

ARGUMENT  No.  1 — The  Specialty  Tea  Jobber  claims  that 
inasmuch  as  he  goes  to  the  Oriental  purchasing  markets  with  a 
much  larger  order  than  that  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer,  he  is  in 
a  position  to  command  lower  purchasing  figures,  and,  in  conse- 
quence, is  able  to  quote  lower  prices,  on  equal  grades,  to  the 
retailer. 

This  claim  of  the  Specialty  Jobber  is  a  very  reasonable  one, 
and  is,  in  fact,  one  of  the  strongest  put  forth. 

There  are,  in  this  country,  a  number  of  Specialty  houses 
whose  Oriental  tea-orders  are,  undoubtedly,  much  heavier  than 
those  of  the  vast  majority  of  Wholesale  Grocers.  Such  houses 
import  large  quantities  of  all  kinds  and  grades  of  teas,  so  that 
they  may  be  able  to  accommodate  buyers  in  the  large  stretch  of 
country  in  which  they  do  business;  and,  for  this  reason,  it  is 
only  right  to  presume  that  they  are  in  a  position  to  command 


214  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

the  lowest  possible  purchasing  prices,  and  own  their  teas  at  a 
less  original  cost  than  the  average  Wholesale  Grocer  owns  his. 
On  the  other  hand  it  must  be  said  in  justice  to  the  Whole- 
sale Grocer  that  his  order  to  the  Orient,  being  confined  to  fewer 
grades,  might,  therefore,  be  as  heavy  as  that  of  the  Specialty 
Jobber  on  any  one  of  the  grades  which  the  Wholesale  Grocer 
carries,  and,  in  such  a  case,  there  would  not  be  much  of  an 
advantage  in  cost  for  one  or  the  other.  The  Wholesale  Gro- 
cer's order  is  usually  for  fewer  grades  than  that  of  the  Spe- 
cialty Jobber,  but  upon  these  few  grades  his  order  is  heavy 
enough  to  enable  the  Oriental  exporter,  or  manufacturer,  to 
purchase  for  him  at  the  bottom  market  prices,  and,  where  this 
is  the  case,  the  Specialty  Jobber  has  no  advantage.  The  fact 
that  many  large  Specialty  Jobbers  carry  a  much  heavier  stock 
than  most  Wholesale  Grocers,  does  not,  necessarily,  prove  that 
their  imports  of  particular  grades  are  heavier.  The  Specialty 
Jobber  covers  a  much  larger  territory  than  the  Wholesale  Gro- 
cer, and  his  imports  must,  in  consequence,  be  heavier  in  order 
to  accommodate  the  varied  demands  of  a  varied  trade,  but  the 
fact  that  his  total  imports  are  greater  does  not  prove  that  he 
imports  a  greater  quantity  of  the  same  particular  grades  im- 
ported by  the  Wholesale  Grocer,  hence  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that  the  Specialty  Jobber  has  no  real  advantage  over  the 
Wholesale  Grocer  in. the  matter  of  Eastern  costs. 

ARGUMENT  No.  2 — The  Specialty  Jobber  claims  that  he 
is  "first  hands''  that  is,  that  he  buys  his  teas  directly  in  the 
Oriental  markets,  and  sells  them  directly  to  the  retailer,  so 
that,  by  purchasing  from  him,  the  retailer  saves  the  "middle 
man's"  profit,  that  is,  the  profit  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer. 

This  claim  of  the  Specialty  Jobber  is  good  as  far  as  it 
goes.  It  is  perfectly  true  that  he  is  "first  hands,"  but  is  not 
the  Wholesale  Grocer  equal  with  him  in  this  respect  ?  Whole- 


WHERE  TO  BUY  TEAS.  215 

sale  Grocers  import  the  greater  portion  of  their  tea-stocks  di- 
rectly from  the  Orient,  and  sell  directly  to  the  retailer,  hence 
they  are  "first  hands"  equally  with  the  Specialty  Jobber. 
There  are  indeed  many  lines  of  goods  carried  by  a  Wholesale 
Grocer  which  he  sells  as  a  "middle  man;"  for  instance,  the 
goods  of  manufacturers  who  do  not  sell  to  retailers,  and,  for 
this  reason,  he  is  usually  looked  upon  as  a  "middle  man,"  but 
in  the  matter  of  teas  it  would  be  very  unfair  to  class  him  as 
such.  It  frequently  happens  that  a  Wholesale  Grocer  will  run 
out  of  stock  of  some  grade,  or  grades,  of  tea  during  a  season, 
and  be  compelled  to  replenish  his  stock  in  this  country  by  pur- 
chase, but  this  fact  cannot  rightfully  be  made  to  prove  that 
he  is  simply  a  "middle  man,"  if  so,  the  Specialty  Jobber  can 
just  as  rightfully  be  called  a  "middle  man,"  for  he  is  just  as 
frequently  called  upon  to  replenish  his  stock  by  purchase  in 
this  country  as  the  Wholesale  Grocer. 

ARGUMENT  Xo.  3 — The  Specialty  Jobber  claims  that  his 
stock  is  larger,  and  is  composed  of  a  greater  variety  of  grades 
than  that  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer,  and,  in  consequence,  he  is 
able  to  show  a  stronger  line  for  the  retailer  to  select  from,  and 
to  supply  all  of  his  demands  to  a  much  better  advantage. 

This  claim  of  the  Specialty  Jobber  is  one  of  the  strongest 
put  forth  by  his  representatives.  As  a  rule  he  has  the  larger 
variety  to  offer  to  the  retailer,  and  this  fact  may  in  some  de- 
gree, and  most  probably  does,  influence  the  retailer's  judgment 
in  the  matter  of  buying,  but  it  by  no  means  follows  that  be- 
cause of  a  larger  stock  and  greater  variety,  lower  prices,  or  bet- 
ter values,  can  be  offered.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  hardly  un- 
reasonable to  suppose  that  this  larger  stock  and  greater  variety 
adds  to  the  cost  of  the  stock-in-trade  of  the  Specialty  house,  by 
reason  of  increased  expense  in  the  matters  of  interest  on  capital 
invested,  insurance,  taxes,  warehouse  charges,  etc.  It  fre- 


216  TEA   HINTS   FOR  RETAILERS. 

quently  happens,  however,  that  a  retailer  can  choose  his  stock 
of  teas  to  better  advantage  from  the  greater  variety  of  grades 
offered  to  him  by  a  Specialty  house  and,  for  this  reason,  and  in 
such  a  case,  the  position  of  the  Specialty  Jobber  in  his  claim  is 
unassailable. 

ARGUMENT  No.  4 — The  Specialty  Jobber  claims  that  he 
makes  a  greater  specialty  of  teas  than  the  Wholesale  Grocer; 
that  his  knowledge  of  the  trade  is  greater;  and  that  his  stock 
is  selected  to  better  advantage.  For  these  reasons  he  claims 
to  be  in  a  superior  position,  and  can  go  before  the  retailer  with 
a  greater  kmndcdge  of  his  requirements,  and  fill  his  orders 
with  goods  that  are  better  calculated  to  please  in  point  of  qual- 
ity, suitability,  uniformity,  and  price. 

This  claim  of  the  Specialty  Jobber  is  particularly  strong, 
and  is  the  one  that  appeals  the  most  forcibly  to  the  dealer,  and 
especially,  to  those  dealers  who  think  more  of  giving  general 
and  continued  satisfaction  to  consumers  than  they  do  of  ob- 
taining greater  profit ;  and  such  a  claim,  when  used  by  the  able 
representative  of  the  Specialty  house,  does  more  to  win  and  to 
hold  trade  for  him  than  all  of  the  other  claims  combined.  To 
it,  and  to  its  faithful  accomplishment  in  every  particular,  the 
continued  success  and  rapid  growth  of  Specialty  houses  is  di- 
rectly attributable,  for  there  are  few  such  houses  that  do  not 
fully  realize  the  great  importance  of  living  up  to  the  letter  of 
such  a  claim,  and  doing  everything  possible  to  make  it  good. 

This  claim,  however,  while  made  in  perfect  faith,  is,  as 
far  as  the  retailer's  interest  goes,  open  to  question,  and,  for 
the  reasons  that  follow,  it  will  be  seen  that,  as  a  matter  of  guid- 
ance to  the  retailer  in  purchasing  teas,  it  is  altogether  a  matter 
of  circumstance. 

It  is  true  that  the  Specialty  Jobber  makes  a  greater  spe- 
cialty of  teas,  and  is,  otherwise,  in  a  better  position  to  do)  all 


WHERE   TO  BUY  TEAS.  217 

that  he  claims  than  many  Wholesale  Grocers,  for,  inasmuch  as 
he  devotes  his  entire  energies  to  the  one,  or  to  limited  lines, 
his  efforts,  and  greater  knowledge  of  the  business,  give  him  a 
much  better  chance  of  success  in  satisfying  a  retailer  than  those 
Wholesale  Grocers  can  expect  to  have  who  make  but  a  sec- 
ondary consideration  of  teas,  or  allow  their  tea-business  to  run 
as  it  will. 

There  are,  however,  a  large  number  of  Wholesale  Grocers 
who  make  just  as  great  a  specialty  of  teas  as  any  Specialty 
house;  whose  knowledge,  purchasing  capacity,  and  position  as 
a  tea-house  is,  at  least,  equal,  and  who  are  just  as  capable,  in 
every  way,  of  giving  satisfaction  to  the  retailer  in  point  of 
quality,  suitability,  uniformity  and  price,  for,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  such  Wholesale  Grocers  handle  so  many  other 
lines,  it  stands  to  reason  that,  if  they  pay  as  much  attention 
to  the  tea-business  as  Specialty  houses  do,  they  can  command 
and  give  equal  conveniences  in  every  respect.  Wholesale  Gro- 
cers of  this  class  are  up-to-date  in  the  tea-business,  for  each 
has  its  especially  appointed  and  separate  tea-department,  orig- 
inally organized  for  the  furtherance  and  better  equipment  of 
this  particular  branch  of  the  business,  and  placed  under  the 
guiding  hand  of  an  expert  and  experienced  tea-man.  Such  a 
department  places  the  Wholesale  Grocer  upon  a  par,  in  every 
way,  with  the  Specialty  house  that  solicits  retail  trade,  and 
gives  him  equal  facilities  to  handle  the  retailer's  business  in  a 
satisfactory  manner,  for  it  cannot  be  said  that  the  tea-man  oi 
the  Specialty  house  is  the  superior  of  the  tea-man  of  the 
Wholesale  Grocer  or  vice  versa. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  that  the  Wholesale  Grocer, 
who  cares  to  do  so,  can  place  himself  in  a  position  of  equality 
with  any  Specialty  Jobber,  and  that  the  Specialty  Jobber's 
claim  to  superiority  in  the  foregoing  respect  is,  as  has  been 
stated,  a  matter  of  circumstance  alone. 

Specialty  houses  have  an  undoubted  advantage  over  those 


218  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

Wholesale  Grocers  who  have  no  special  tea-department,  or  who 
employ  no  experienced  tea-men,  for  it  rarely  happens  that  a 
general  buyer — a  buyer  who  purchases  everything — is  as  well 
posted  in  the  tea-business  as  a  man  who  has  served  a  life  time 
at  the  trade,  but  the  fact  still  remains  that  there  are  a  large 
number  of  Wholesale  Grocers  in  this  country  who  have  placed 
themselves  in  a  position  of  equality  with  Specialty  houses  in 
every  respect,  and  that  the  claim  of  the  Specialty  Jobber  i- 
good  only  as  against  such  Wholesale  Grocers  who  make  no 
attempt  to  bring  their  tea-department  up-to-date  in  every  par- 
ticular. 

ARGUMENT  No.  5 — The  Specialty  Jobber  claims  that  his 
salesmen  are,  upon  the  average,  better  educated  in  the  line: 
are  much  better  posted  upon  the  subject  of  teas  generally  than 
the  salesmen  of  the  Wholesale  Grocer;  and  are,  therefore,  in  a 
position  to  talk  more  intelligently  upon  the  subject  with  the 
retailer;  are  more  able  to  match  up  teas  or  samples,  and  sup- 
ply him  with  grades  more  suitable  to  his  requirement*. 

In  this  claim  of  the  Specialty  Jobber  we  have  a  strong 
one  again,  and  one  that  naturally  carries  considerable  weight 
when  presented  to  a  retailer. 

Specialty  tea-houses,  whenever  possible,  employ  salesmen 
who  have  had  some  experience  in  the  tea-business,  and,  wh^n 
such  men  are  not  obtainable,  an  education,  great  enough  to  en- 
able the  inexperienced  man  to  talk  teas  intelligently,  is  usually 
given  before  permitting  him  to  take  the  road,  for  it  is  of  r» 
nized  importance  that  a  tea-salesman  should  be  sufficiently  well 
posted  in  the  line  to  be  able  to  guide  those  retailers  who  are 
unequal  to  the  task  of  selecting  suitable  teas  for  themselves. 

The  fact  that  a  Specialty  tea-salesman  is  in  the  exclusive 
tea-business  gives  him  certain  natural  advantages  over  the  gen- 
eral Grocery  salesman,  which  advantages  he  is  by  no  means 


WHERE  TO  BUY  TEAS.  219 

slow  to  improve,  but  it  cannot  be  claimed,  with  any  degree  of 
justice,  that  such  advantages  are  the  results  of  a  higher  tea- 
education,  or  that  they,  necessarily,  enable  the  men  possessing 
them  to  become,  without  study  or  experience,  better  posted  in 
teas  generally  than  the  average  grocery  salesman.  As  a  gen- 
eral rule  the  specialty  tea-salesman  has  the  reputation  of  being 
thoroughly  conversant  with  his  business,  whether  he  is  so  or 
not,  and  of  understanding  it  better  than  the  average  grocery 
salesman,  for,  owing  to  the  single  fact  that  he  is  what  he  is — 
a  specialty  salesman — retailers,  almost  generally,  give  him 
the  credit  of  possessing  superior  ability  as  a  tea-man ;  and  this 
natural  advantage,  when  aided  by  a  great  zeal  in  pushing 
goods ;  by  a  greater  amount  of  time  in  which  to  do  so ;  and  by 
the  application  of  such  well-studied  stock  arguments  as  he 
possesses,  carries  with  it  the  impression  of  a  still  greater 
knowledge,  and  gains  for  him  a  consideration  at  the  hands  of 
the  retailer  which  he  would  be  extremely  foolish  not  to  apply. 

Such  reputations,  however,  are  easily  obtained,  and,  ow- 
ing to  the  lack  of  knowledge  exhibited  by  the  average  retailer 
upon  the  subject  of  teas,  are  easily  held,  but  it  by  no  means 
follows  that  reputations  of  such  a  kind  are  gained  by  visible 
evidences  of  a  real  tea-knowledge  or  education. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  there  are  a  great  number  of  his 
salesmen  whose  reputations  for  knowledge  rest  solely  upon 
the  positions  they  occupy,  the  claim  of  the  Specialty  Jobber 
is  entitled  to  credence  in  a  certain  degree,  for  there  are,  in- 
deed, many  tea-specialty  salesmen  who  are  tea-men  in  every 
sense  of  the  word;  men  whose  long  experience  upon  the  road 
and  at  the  tea-table,  has  given  them  a  reputation  which  they 
richly  deserve,  but  such  men  are  in  the  minority,  and  are 
likely  so  to  remain,  for  the  simple  reason  that  few  men  possess 
the  natural  qualifications  necessary  to  become  really  expert 
in  teas,  and  that  those  who  are  fortunate  enough  to  possess 


220  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

such  qualifications  are  usually  able  to  find  an  employment 
superior  to  that  of  traveling. 

A  specialty  tea-salesman  has  greater  opportunities  to  be- 
come more  quickly  educated  in  the  business  than  the  general 
line  salesman,  for  having  nothing  with  which  to  occupy  his 
mind  in  a  business  way,  other  than  the  limited  line  of  goods 
he  carries,  he  has  more  leisure  in  which  to  study,  if  he  cares 
to  apply  himself.  There  is  no  question  but  that  many  avail 
themselves  of  the  opportunities  presented  for  gaining  knowl- 
edge, and  so  train  themselves  in  trade  terms,  in  qualities,  in 
values,  etc.,  and,  by  this  means,  strive  to  uphold  the  general 
reputation  which  their  positions  give  to  them.  The  impetus 
to  become  more  proficient  in  .the  line,  however,  cannot  be  said 
to  be  greater  in  the  case  of  the  specialty  salesman  than  that 
which  impels  the  grocery  salesman  to  study  teas,  in  fact  it  i? 
really  a  question  if  it  is  as  great,  for  many  specialty  men  are 
prone  to  depend  upon  the  reputation  already  gained,  especially 
when  they  find  that  a  slight  knowledge  added  to  their  reputa- 
tion is  all  that  is  necessary  for  them  to  possess  in  order  to  suc- 
ceed in  selling  teas  enough  to  make  their  services  profitable. 
On  the  other  hand  the  grocery  salesman  is  not  backward,  as  a 
rule,  in  a  study  of  teas.  The  fact  that  teas  are  difficult  to 
sell,  and  are  much  more  acceptable  as  sales  to  the  employing 
house  than  many  other  staples,  creates  within  him  a  lasting 
desire  to  excel,  and,  in  consequence,  he  is  usually  willing  to 
exert  himself  in  an  effort  to  become  more  and  more  proficient, 
and,  in  doing  so,  he  generally  succeeds  in  obtaining  a  knowl- 
edge great  enough  for  all  practical  purposes.  In  his  effort  to 
improve  his  knowledge  of  teas  he  is  aided  by  the  tea-depart- 
ment man,  who,  as  a  rule,  is  not  only  capable  of  imparting 
sufficient  knowledge,  but  applies  himself  earnestly  in  the  ef- 
fort to  do  so,  and,  as  a  result,  it  usually  happens  that  the 
salesman,  who  has  been  a  few  years  upon  the  road  for  an  up- 
to-date  Wholesale  Grocer,  acquires  a  knowledge  of  teas  equal 


WHERE  TO  BUY  TEAS.  221 

to  that  of  the  majority  of  specialty  salesmen,  and  great  enough 
to  guide  him  in  making  sales  that  will  prove  to  be  entirely 
satisfactory  to  the  most  exacting  retailer. 

The  claim  of  the  Specialty  Jobber  as  a  whole  that  his 
salesmen  are  better  educated  in  the  line,  and  much  better 
posted  upon  the  subject  of  teas  generally  than  the  salesmen  of 
the  Wholesale  Grocer  therefore,  is  open  to  serious  question, 
for  it  is,  indeed,  more  fancied  than  real,  and  is  a  just  one 
only  in  the  case  of  those  of  his  salesmen  who  have  been  edu- 
cated in  the  store,  and  have  had  a  sufficient  experience  in 
testing,  and  in  matching,  at  the  tea-table;  proficiency  at 
which  being  the  only  real  test  of  a  tea-man's  ability.  In 
the  case  of  salesmen  who  have  gained  their  knowledge  by  word 
of  mouth,  and  their  experience  upon  the  road,  no  advantage 
of  consequence,  one  way  or  the  other,  as  far  as  actual  tea- 
knowledge  is  concerned,  is  visible,  for,  in  both  cases,  the  sales- 
men of  each  class  have  acquired  their  knowledge  in  the  same 
school,  and  have  had  equal  facilities,  as  well  as  possessing 
equal  faculties,  for  absorption. 

The  only  actual  advantages,  therefore,  which  the  average 
specialty  tea-salesman  appears  to  have,  are  to  be  found  in  the 
reputation  as  a  tea-man  which  he  is  fortunate  enough  to  ac- 
quire as  the  result  of  his  position,  and  in  the  abundance  of 
time  at  his  disposal  for  the  acquisition  of  real  tea-knowledge, 
if  he  chooses  to  apply  himself.  Notwithstanding  these  ad- 
vantages, however,  and  in  spite  of  all  that  may  be  said,  or 
believed  to  the  contrary,  it  is  difficult  to  perceive  wherein  the 
average  tea-specialty  salesman  is,  or  has  the  power  to  become, 
the  superior  of  the  average  grocery  salesman  in  actual  tea- 
knowledge,  and,  for  the  same  reason,  it  is  equally  as  difficult 
to  believe  that  one  is  in  a  better  position  to  supply  the  retailer 
with  more  suitable  goods  than  the  other. 

ARGUMENT  No.  6. — The  Specialty  Jobber  claims  that  the 


222  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

Wholesale  Grocer  is  compelled  to  get  a  large  profit  on  his  line, 
of  teas  in  order  to  "average  up"  the  small  margin  of  pro  fib 
which  he  makes  on  staple  groceries;  while  he,  on  the  othcf 
hand,  having  nothing  but  teas,  or  teas,  coffees  and  spices  to 
sell,  is  not  placed  in  such  a  position,  and  having  no  small 
profit  goods  to  "average  up"  upon,  he  can  the  better  afford  to 
sell  teas  at  a  smaller  margin  of  profit. 

In  this  claim  of  the  Specialty  Jobber  we  have  one  that  is 
not  easy  to  verify,  or  to  refute.  It  certainly  is  a  difficult  mat- 
ter to  determine  whether,  or  not,  the  Wholesale  Grocer  expects, 
or  attempts,  to  make  a  larger  percentage  of  profit  on  his  tea 
sales  than  is  proper  and  just  in  order  to  "average  up"  on  the 
small  margins  of  profit  made  on  so  many  lines  of  staple  gro- 
ceries. The  Wholesale  Grocer,  however,  has  the  same  end  in 
view  as  the  Specialty  house,  that  is  to  make  as  good  a  profit 
showing  at  the  end  of  the  year  as  possible,  and,  in  order  to 
show  this  profit,  sales  must  be  made,  and  must  be  kept  up,  so 
that,  even  were  the  temptation  offered  to  charge  unreasonably 
high  prices  on  teas,  it  would  be  extremely  inadvisable,  as  a 
business  proposition,  to  do  so,  for  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  such 
a  proceeding  could  be  kept  up;  a  fact  which  every  reasoning 
Wholesale  Grocer  appreciates. 

Every  tea-wholesaler  expects  a  fairly  good  margin  of 
profit  on  teas,  and  the  fact  that  there  are  so  many  exclusive 
tea,  and  tea,  coffee  and  spice  houses,  in  business  is  the  best 
proof  that  such  goods  are  more  profitable  than  other  grocery 
lines.  It  is  right  that  there  should  be  a  good  profit  in  teas 
as  far  as  the  Wholesale  Grocer  is  concerned,  for  without  them, 
and  a  few  other  fancy  goods,  wholesale  dealers  in  groceries 
would  find  it  difficult  to  exist,  a  fact  which  retailers  must  ap- 
preciate for  they  are  placed  in  exactly  the  same  position  them- 
selves. Therefore,  if  the  profit  on  his  tea  sales  helps  tin? 
Wholesale  Grocer  to  "average  up"  on  the  small  margins  of 


WHERE  TO  BUY  TEAS.  223 

profit  made  on  staples,  there  is  no  one  better  entitled  to  it 
than  he,  and  certainly  not  those  who  refuse  to  handle  staples 
because  of  the  small  profits  shown.  To  contend,  however,  that 
the  profit  made  by  the  Wholesale  Grocer  on  teas  is  excessive, 
or  greater  than  it  should  be  on  this  account,  is  hardly  reason- 
able, for  it  would  appear  to  be  extremely  unlikely  that  such 
an  attempt  would  be  made  by  any  responsible  Wholesale  Gro- 
cer in  view  of  the  fact  that  he  has  competition  to  meet,  and 
that  he  has  as  great  an  interest  in  proving  himself  to  be  as 
reasonable  in  his  prices  as  his  exclusive  competitor. 


A  recapitulation  of  the  above  arguments,  or  a  further 
analysis  of  their  individual  merits,  would  appear  to  be  un- 
necessary, for  it  will  be  seen  that  the  advantage  of  general 
position  is  decidedly  with  the  Wholesale  Grocer.  In  all  prob- 
ability some  of  the  larger  Specialty  houses  purchase  their  teas 
to  better  advantage  in  the  matters  of  laid-in  cost  and  variety, 
but  the  evident  advantage  which  the  Wholesale  Grocer  has  in 
much  lower  selling  expenses  to  be  added  to  laid-in  costs  will, 
at  least,  equalize  the  original  advantages  in  favor  of  the  Spe- 
cialty house. 

Admitting  then,  as  we  are  forced  to  do,  that  the  starting 
points  of  both  classes,  as  far  as  original  costs  are  concerned, 
are  equal,  it  necessarily  follows  that  the  Wholesale  Grocer's  po- 
sition as  a  wholesale  dealer  in  teas,  notwithstanding  pre-con- 
ceived  opinions,  is  as  strong,  to  begin  with,  as  that  of  the 
Specialty  Jobber.  His  subsequent  position  to  figure  as  closely 
as  the  exclusive  house,  and  his  ability  to  give  goods  that  arc 
as  satisfactory  in  point  of  quality  and  value,  no  one  can  rea- 
sonably question,  for  trade  rivalry,  if  nothing  else,  compels  him 
to  exert  himself  fully  in  these  respects.  The  fact,  then,  that 
local  first-class  freight  rates  are,  in  most  cases,  strongly  in  his 
favor  gives  him  an  advantage  which  the  retailer  cannot  afford 


224  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

to  overlook,  and,  this  advantage,  added  to  his  unequalled  fa- 
cilities for  prompt  attention;  his  greater  reasons  for  care  in 
the  handling  of  trade ;  his  stronger  financial  grounds  for  pru- 
dence in  the  matter  of  overcrowding  sales,  and  his  general 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  trade  and  in  the  community  sur- 
rounding it  should,  at  least,  count  materially  in  his  favor,  for 
these  are  considerations  which  the  Specialty  Jobber  will  iiiul 
difficult  to  overcome.  Therefore,  in  viewing  the  situation  from 
the  standpoint  of  cost;  of  business  advantage  and  of  businr.— 
policy,  we  can  hardly  fail  to  come  to  the  conclusion  that  th" 
ivt;iiler  will  consult  his  own  best  interests  by  purchasing  his 
tea  supplies  from  the  house  that  sells  him  sugar — his  Whole- 
sale Grocer. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

IS  IT  WISE  TO  PLACE  AN  IMPORTATION  ORDER? 

It  goes  without  saying  that  competition  for  the  order  oj1 
the  retail  merchant  is  as  great  in  the  Wholesale  Tea  trade  as  it 
is  in  any  other  commercial  line.  This  competition  naturally 
stimulates  the  inventive  faculties  of  the  wholesaler  to  a  great 
activity  and,  as  a  result,  many  ingenious  ideas,  some  entirely 
new,  others  old,  but  clothed  in  new  garments,  are  constantly 
being  presented  to  the  retailer  as  a  means  whereby  his  order 
may  be  secured  and  his  future  trade  controlled. 

Possibly  the  most  important  of  the  trade-winning  ideas 
which  have,  of  late  years,  been  brought  to  light,  adopted  and 
prosecuted  by  the  Wholesale  Tea  trade  almost  generally,  is  that 
which  is  known  as  the  "Import"  or  "Contract  Order  System ;" 
and,  although  it  is  now  quite  a  few  years  since  the  idea  was 
originated,  it  not  only  continues  to  hold  its  own  as  a  favorite 
means  whereby  trade  may  be  secured  and  held,  but  it  appears 
to  become  a  more  and  more  important  part  of  the  Wholesaler'? 
business,  and  is,  in  fact,  likely  to  gain  ground  and  be  pushed 
with  renewed  activity  each  year. 

The  very  fact  that  the  Importation  Order  business  is 
pushed  with  so  much  zeal  by  the  Wholesaler,  goes  to  prove 
that  it  is  a  trade-winning  and,  therefore,  a  profitable  idea, 
and,  for  this  reason,  it  will  be  wise  as  well  as  profitable  to  ex- 
amine the  pros  and  cons  of  the  question  propounded  at  the 
head  of  this  chapter,  viz. :  "Is  it  wise  to  place  an  Importation 
order r 

In  order  to  arrive  at  a  satisfactory  solution,  and  to  probe 
the  subject  to  its  bottom,  it  becomes  necessary  to  examine  ifc 
from  the  standpoints  of  both  Wholesaler  and  Retailer. 


226  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

It  is  generally  understood  that,  when  accepting  a  tea-iin- 
portation  order  from  the  retail  merchant,  the  Wholesa ID- 
undertakes  to  purchase  in  the  Oriental  markets,  on  behalf  of, 
and  for  the  account  of  the  retailer,  a  given  quantity  of  one., 
or  of  several  kinds  or  grades  of  tea,  at  a  stated,  or  at  a  limited 
price  for  each  grade,  delivered  at  some  designated  distributing 
point  in  the  United  States.  Each  chest  of  tea  so  imported  is 
to  bear  upon  its  label,  or  facing,  the  name  and  address  of  the 
retailer,  together  with  his  chosen  brand  or  brands.  When 
small  packages,  boxes  or  tins  are  to  be  imported,  each  package, 
box  or  tin  is  to  bear  a  chosen  brand  together  with  the  retailer's 
name  as  the  importer  of  the  tea  covered  by  the  label  of  the 
package,  box  or  tin. 

In  taking  this  class  of  order  the  Wholesaler  usually  ex- 
hibits samples  of  the  growth  of  the  preceding  season,  \vhi< -h 
are  accepted  as  standards  of  the  coming  season's  growth,  and 
it  is  understood  and  agreed  that  the  samples,  or  standard*, 
chosen  by  the  retailer  are  to  be  matched  in  style,  color  and 
cup  qualities  as  closely  as  the  conditions  of  the  coming  se 
will  permit.  The  goods  are  to  be  shipped  to  the  retailer  upon 
arrival  at  the  port  of  entry,  or  at  given  dates  and  in  gi\vr. 
quantities,  throughout  the  year  in  accordance  with  the  terms 
of  the  contract;  which  contract,  embodying  the  details  of  the 
transaction,  is  usually  made  in  duplicate,  signed  by  both  seller 
and  purchaser,  each  party  to  the  transaction  retaining  a  copv. 

As  already  intimated,  the  motive  which  originally  sug- 
gested the  Import  Order  System  was  the  anxiety  of  the  Whole- 
saler to  secure  the  entire,  or,  at  least,  as  great  a  portion  as 
possible  of  the  yearly  business  of  the  retailer,  and  steal  a 
march,  so  to  speak,  upon  competition. 

The  traveling  representative  of  the  Wholesaler  is  in- 
structed to  find  out,  as  nearly  as  possible,  how  many  packages 
of  tea  the  retailer  uses  during  the  year,  and,  as  it  is  usually 
presumed  that  the  trade  of  each  retailer  increases  yearly,  his 


IS  IT  WISE  TO  PLACE  AN  IMPORTATION  ORDER.      227 

instructions  are  to  judiciously  arrive  at  the  percentage  of  this 
increase,  and  solicit  an  import  order  for  the  yearly  business, 
prospective  increase  included.  With  such  an  order  on  file,  the 
trade  of  the  retailer  is  secured  for  the  year.  Competition  can- 
not affect  it,  for,  inasmuch  as  the  order,  or  contract,  is  signed, 
the  buyer  is  legally,  as  well  as  morally,  bound  to  accept  the  teas 
at  contract  prices. 

The  aggressive  Wholesaler  usually  attempts  to  open  the 
Import  order  campaign  very  early  in  each  year,  although  a  fair 
amount  of  missionary  work  is  done  by  salesmen  at  all  seasons. 
During  the  months  of  January,  February,  March  and  April  the 
work  of  securing  Import  orders  is  vigorously  prosecuted,  for 
every  Wholesaler  knows  from  experience  that  he  must  work 
hard  for  his  share  of  this  kind  of  business,  otherwise  his  Sum- 
mer and  Autumn  deliveries  are  likely  to  fall  very  short  of 
what  they  should  be ;  and  for  this  reason,  if  for  no  other,  many 
Wholesalers  are  forced,  frequently  against  their  better  judg- 
ment, to  adopt  the  system. 

The  position  taken  by  the  Wholesaler  in  placing  before 
the  retailer  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  placing  an  im- 
port order,  is  naturally  made  a  strong  one,  and  it  is  a  most 
difficult  matter  for  the  retailer,  who  possesses  a  limited  knowl- 
edge of  the  subject,  to  view  the  matter  from  any  other  stand- 
point than  that  which  is  presented  to  him.  It  may,  therefore, 
be  useful  to  carefully  examine  the  position  of  the  retailer  in 
connection  with  the  arguments  put  forth  by  the  Wholesaler, 
and,  in  so  doing,  attempt  to  arrive  at  a  satisfactory  solution  of 
the  question.  In  order  to  do  this  it  will  be  necessary  to  take 
the  arguments  which  are  advanced  in  support  of  the  system, 
and  examine  each  one  from  the  standpoint  of  the  retailer. 

FIRST. — The  retailer  is  impressed  with  the  idea  that  the 
labels ,  or  facings,  of  the  chests  will  fc ear  his  brand  and  name, 
and  each  label  will  specify  that  he  is  the  direct  importer  of  the 


228  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

teas  contained  within  each  package,  or  that  the  goods  have 
been  especially  imported  for  him. 

Such  an  argument  is,  of  course,  a  strong  one  in  th- 
of  the  retailer  placing  his  order  for  teas  packed  in  small  pack- 
ages, such  as  quarter-pound,  half-pound  or  pound  paper  pack- 
ages or  tins,  or  in  five-pound  or  ten-pound  boxes  or  tins,  for,  in 
such  a  case,  his  brand  is  circulated  in  the  homes  of  the  resi- 
dents of  the  town  and  district  in  which  he  does  business,  and 
he,  therefore,  becomes  known  as  the  importer  of  that  particular 
brand,  and  of  the  package  which  bears  his  name.  There  can 
be  no  doubt  whatever  about  the  value  of  such  an  advertisement, 
provided,  of  course,  that  the  tea  enclosed  in  the  boxes,  pack- 
ages of  tins  is  of  a  quality  sufficiently  good  to  create  and  hoi -1 
a  steady  demand  for  it. 

On  the  other  hand  it  is  most  difficult  to  discern  wheivin 
a  retailer  can  derive  an  advantage,  or  an  advertisement,  from 
the  fact  that  his  brands  and  name  are  printed  upon  the  fac- 
ings of  a  chest  of  lulk  tea.  The  majority  of  retailers  have, 
as  a  store  fixture,  a  canister,  or  box,  especially  made  for  con- 
venience in  retailing  teas,  and  into  this  canister  a  portion  of 
the  contents  of  a  chest  is  placed,  while  the  chest,  containing 
the  remainder  of  the  tea,  is  stored  away  under  the  counter,  or 
in  some  more  convenient  out-of-the-way  place,  to  be,  in  duo 
season,  brought  to  light  for  the  purpose  of  re-filling  the  tea- 
canister ;  after  which  the  empty  chest  with  its  attached  label 
is  relegated  to  the  wood  pile  or  to  the  stove.  How  can  it  Im- 
possible, in  such  a  case,  or  under  such  conditions,  that  the 
facing,  or  brand,  upon  the  chest  has  done  good  to  the  retailer? 
And  how  can  it  be  possible  for  any  one  to  contend  that  such 
an  advertisement  is  of  value,  or  worthy  of  a  moment's  con- 
sideration ? 

There  are,  on  the  other  hand,  some  retailers  who  recognize 
that,  under  the  above  conditions,  not  much  advertising  value 


IS  IT  WISE  TO  PLACE  AN  IMPORTATION  ORDER.      229 

is  to  be  obtained  from  private  brands  placed  upon  chests  of 
bulk  tea,  but,  in  order  to  make  the  most  of  it,  will  endeavor 
to  create  an  impression  upon  the  public  by  exposing  a  number 
of  chests  of  their  branded  tea  in  show  windows;  while  others, 
for  the  same  reason,  will  stack  up  a  number  of  the  chests  in 
some  conveniently  prominent  part  of  their  store. 

The  first  of  these  methods  cannot  be  too  severely  con- 
demned for  the  reason  that  the  contents  of  the  chests,  while 
in  the  window,  are  in  great  danger  of  serious  damage,  if  not 
of  entire  ruin,  for  the  action  of  the  sun's  heat,  made  stronger 
by  the  concentrating  action  of  the  window-glass,  will  not  only 
draw  out  the  strength  and  sweetness  of  the  tea-leaves,  but  will 
damage  their  flavor  and  aroma  also.  Nor  is  this  the  only  in- 
jury which  is  likely  to  occur.  The  labels,  those  beautifully 
designed,  highly-colored  works  of  art  for  which  the  Chinese 
and,  particularly,  the  Japanese  are  commercially  famous,  are 
more  than  likely  to  suffer,  for  the  exposure  to  light  and  heat 
will  destroy  the  colors  and  leave  the  label  a  damaged  looking 
object,  its  colors  faded  and  drawn  and  presenting  an  ugly, 
washed-out  appearance  which  will  totally  destroy  any  chance 
it  may  have  had  of  being  a  good  advertisement. 

The  latter  of  these  methods,  that  of  stacking  up  the 
chests  in  a  convenient  part  of  the  store,  is  much  the  safer  plan, 
provided,  always,  that  the  part  of  the  store  selected  for  the 
exhibition^  cool,  of  an  even  temperature,  and  free  from  ex- 
cessive daylight,  or  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun. 

From  the  above  it  will  be  seen  that  the  advantages  to  be 
derived  from  private  labels,  or  brands,  are  much  more  imagin- 
ary than  real,  except,  as  already  stated,  in  the  case  of  teas 
packed  in  small  packages  which  go  intact  into  the  homes  of 
consumers ;  nevertheless  the  wholesaler  places  a  great  amount 
of  weight  upon  the  idea  of  printing  labels  in  the  name  of  the 
retailer,  and  has  made  of  it  a  victorious  argument  in  favor  of 
the  svstem,  for  he  realizes  that  the  idea  touches  the  retailer 


230  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

in  a  tender  spot,  by  appealing  to  his  sense  of  vanity,  and  this 
is,  in  many  cases,  liable  to  over-rule  better  judgment.  It  is 
gratifying  to  see  his  name  and  brand  handsomely  engraved 
in  colors  upon  packages  of  goods  which  have  been  grown,  man- 
ufactured and  packed  in  a  distant  and  distinctly  foreign  coun- 
try. It  is  gratifying,  also,  to  be  known  as  a  direct  importer 
from  China  and  Japan,  as  the  labels  state,  but  can  it  be  truth- 
fully said  that  such  an  advertisement,  or  gratification,  has  re- 
paid its  cost,  or  compensated  the  retailer  for  the  risk  involved  ? 

SECOND. — The  retailer  is  impressed  with  the  idea  that, 
by  having  his  teas  packed  under  his  own  private  brand  an,t 
label,  he  will  be  placed  in  a  position  to  prohibit  the  possibility 
of  his  competitor  in  business  underselling  him. 

Here  we  have  an  argument  which,  upon  its  face,  is  very 
plausible,  but  it  is,  in  fact,  one  which  will  not  bear  investiga- 
tion. 

In  districts  where  small  package  teas  are  sold,  that  is,  teas 
packed  in  retailing  quantities,  and  branded  so  as  to  be  recog- 
nisable by  consumers,  this  argument  carries  great  weight,  and 
justly  so,  but  in  districts  where  bulk  teas  are  mainly  used, 
such  a  possibility  is  extremely  improbable.  The  cutting  of 
prices  is  mostly  indulged  in  on  package  goods,  or  on  goods  of 
any  kind  which  may  be  identified,  and  could  easily  happen 
where  two  or  more  retailers  are  handling  the  same  brand  of 
package  teas,  but,  in  the  case  of  bulk-  teas,  where  so  many 
grades,  blends  or  mixtures  are  in  use,  it  is  not  at  all  likely 
that  one  retailer  would,  or  could,  claim  that  he  is  selling  the 
same  tea  that  his  competitor  sells  at  so  much  per  pound  less. 

THIRD. — The  retailer  is  impressed  with  the  statement  that 
he  will  receive  teas  for  his  trade  which  will  be  uniform  in  qual- 
ity throughout  the  year. 


IS  IT  WISE  TO  PLACE  AN  IMPORTATION  ORDER.      231 

Here  we  have  another  strong  argument  in  favor  of  the 
system  of  placing  import  orders,  and  one  which  is  perfectly 
true  as  far  as  the  statement  goes,  but  it  is  an  argument  which 
will  hardly  influence  the  thinking  merchant. 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  every  wholesale  dealer  in  teas 
places  a  yearly  importation  order  for  a  sufficiency  of  the  va- 
rious kinds  and  grades  of  teas  to  supply  his  trade  from  one  sea- 
son to  the  next.  These  teas  are  packed  under  brands,  or  under 
brands  and  numbers,  which  designate  the  grades,  and,  in  plac- 
ing the  yearly  order,  the  wholesaler  is  more  than  careful  to 
protect  his  chosen  brands,  and  to  match  his  regular  standards 
of  grade  from  year  to  year  as  closely  as  each  succeeding  season 
will  permit.  Does  it  not,  therefore,  stand  to  very  good  reason 
that  any  retailer  can  obtain,  from  the  same  wholesaler  who  is  so 
anxious  to  secure  his  import  order,  the  same  uniform  grade  of 
tea  all  the  year  round,  and  purchase  the  goods  in  quantities  to 
suit  his  requirements  from  time  to  time  throughout  the  year  ? 
Would  the  retailer,  when  such  is  the  case,  be  benefited  by,  or 
justified  in  contracting  for,  and  receiving,  a  year's  supply  of 
tea,  when  he  can  purchase  an  uniform  grade  from  month  to 
month  and  from  the  same  source? 

FOURTH. — The  retailer  is  impressed  with  the  idea  tho,t 
once  his  order  for  a  year's  supply  of  tea  is  booked,  there  will 
be  no  further  use  for  the  representative  of  the  selling  house 
to  visit  him  until  the  next  year.,  and  that  the  expense  of  peri- 
odical, or  frequent.,  visits  during  the  year  will  thereby  be 
avoided  and  the  goods  can,  therefore,  be  sold  at  correspond- 
ingly lower  rates. 

This  is  not  a  usual  argument,  but  it  is  sometimes  used 
with  effect.  It  is  one  which  obtains  only  in  the  case  of  the 
exclusive  tea  wholesaler. 

In  the  case  of  towns  having  but  one  store  this  argument 


232  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

carries  some  weight,  but,  where  there  are  two  or  more  retailer* 
in  the  town,  it  loses  its  value,  for  the  reason  that  the  travel- 
ing man  will  continue  to  make  his  periodical  visits  in  order 
to  sell  his  goods  to  the  merchants  of  the  town  who  have  not 
placed  an  import  order. 

FIFTH. — The  retailer  is  impressed  with  the  statement 
that,  in  the  event  of  the  conclusion  of  an  import  order  con- 
tract sufficiently  large  to  cover  the  year's  requirements,  a  Ion •<  r 
price  per  pound  will  be  made  on  all  grades  in  consideration  of 
the  size  of  the  order. 

This  is,  by  far,  the  strongest  argument  which  is  advanced 
by  the  wholesaler,  and  it  is  one  which,  naturally,  carries  ;i 
considerable  force  with  it.  It  carries  weight  because  it  is  not 
only  reasonable  but  is  in  the  nature  of  a  business-like  proposi- 
tion. It  is  very  true  that  a  wholesaler  is  placed  in  a  position 
to  make  lower  rates  when  an  order  in  quantity  is  given,  and 
the  reasons  which  he  advances  for  being  able  to  do  so  are  be- 
yond question.  He  saves  much  expense  in  the  matter  of  insur- 
ance, taxes,  interest,  drayage  and  in  other  minor  items,  which, 
in  the  course  of  a  year,  amount  to  a  considerable  sum  in  the 
aggregate,  and  there  is  no  good  reason  why  his  customer  should 
not,  at  least,  participate  in  the  saving. 

As  has  already  been  stated  this  argument  is  the  strongest 
in  use  in  the  furtherance  of  the  importation  order  system,  and 
it  is,  therefore,  the  one  which  every  retailer  should  examine 
carefully  from  his  own  standpoint.  That  there  is  a  saving 
to  the  wholesaler  in  the  items  mentioned  is  true;  that  the 
wholesaler  will  invoice  the  teas  at  from  5  per  cent,  to  15  per 
cent,  below  the  ordinary  selling  price  is  also  true,  but,  even  at 
this,  or  at  a  lower  cost  yet,  does  the  retailer  really  make 
the  saving?  True  his  goods  will  be  invoiced  to  him  at 
a  price  showing  the  saving,  and  he  will  undoubtedly  own 


IS  IT  WISE  TO  PLACE  AN  IMPORTATION  ORDER.       233 

the  goods  at  invoice  date  at  the  reduced  price,  but,  in 
the  very  act  of  having  purchased  so  heavily  to  make 
the  saving,  has  he  not  placed  himself  in  exactly  the  same  po- 
sition as  the  wholesaler  would  be  in  were  he  to  carry  the 
goods?  Has  he  not  placed  the  burden  of  expense  upon  his 
own  shoulders?  Will  he  not,  with  the  large  stock  on  hand, 
have  to  bear  the  expense  of  additional  insurance,  taxes,  inter- 
est, etc.,  which  the  wholesaler  has  escaped  by  the  transaction  ? 
And  should  not  these  additional  expenses  be  added  to  the 
original  cost  of  the  goods?  It  certainly  would  appear  to  be 
good  merchandising  to  figure  it  in  this  way. 

These  are,  at  least,  considerations  well  worthy  of  the  care- 
ful thought  of  the  retailer;  and  while  it  may  be  urged  that 
the  expenses  of  carrying  additional  stock  in  a  small  city  are 
not  so  heavy,  proportionately,  as  in  a  larger  city,  and  in  the 
aggregate  may  not  amount  to  the  sum  of  a  5  per  cent,  to 
15  per  cent,  saving  on  invoice  value,  still  the  danger  of 
fire,  in  case  of  under-insurance,  or  of  damage  or  deterioration, 
should  be  taken  into  consideration  in  this  connection. 

Having  investigated  the  five  strongest  arguments  which 
are  used  by  the  wholesale  trade  to  foster  the  importation  order 
system,  and  having  examined  them  from  the  standpoints  of 
both  wholesaler  and  retailer,  it  will  now  be  additionally  advan- 
tageous to  analyze  the  question  from  the  standpoint  of  a  sound 
business  policy. 

FIRST. — When  a  retailer  places  an  import  order,  he,  in 
most  cases,  makes  the  order  sufficiently  large  to  cover  his  re- 
quirements for  a  year.  In  doing  this,  he  is  taking  several  un- 
necessary chances  of  loss,  and  it  is  absurd  to  urge  that  the 
benefits  accruing  will  more  than  counter-balance  the  risks 
involved. 

To  begin  with  he  is  very  likely  to  order  more  goods  than 
he  can  sell  during  the  year,  and  it  is  useless  to  argue  that  this 
is  unlikely,  for  the  thinking  merchant  will  have  in  mind  at 


234  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

the  time  of  entering  into  the  contract,  that  one  of  the  main 
arguments  in  favor  of  the  system  is  that  one  which  suggests 
that  his  teas  will  be  of  one  uniform  grade  throughout  the  year. 
Again  it  is  price  that  he  is  after,  and  the  greater  the  quantity 
the  lesser  the  price  is  likely  to  be.  Now,  with  these  thought* 
in  mind,  the  retailer  is  more  than  likely  to  over-  rather  than 
under-buy,  for  he  will  naturally  be  looking  for  the  lowest 
price  as  well  as  be  in  fear  of  running  out  of  stock  before  the 
arrival  of  the  succeeding  year's  goods. 

In  such  an  event  the  retailer  has  placed  himself  in  a  poor 
position  indeed,  for  when  the  end  of  the  season  arrives  and 
new-crop  teas  are  in  the  market,  he  finds  himself  compelled 
to  dispose  of  his  surplus  stock  of  old  crop  goods,  while  his 
competitors  are  putting  out  new  goods  which,  with  their  fresh- 
ness and  superior  flavor,  are  likely  to  win  trade  away  from 
him.  Then  comes  the  usual  result  of  such  a  condition  of 
affairs ;  the  old  teas  cannot  be  put  on  one  side,  for  they  are  not 
gaining  in  value  with  age,  so  they  must  be  pushed  off.  Re- 
duced selling  prices  are  placed  upon  them,  and  the  saving  in 
original  cost  is  again  cut  into. 

SECOND. — A  contract  for  a  year's  supply  of  tea  at  a  given 
price  places  the  retailer  in  such  a  position  that  he  cannot  take 
advantage  of  any  "snap"  which  might  be  offered  to  him,  or  of 
any  natural  reduction  in  the  market  prices  of  teas.  It  might 
be  urged,  in  opposition  to  this,  that  teas  might  advance  in 
price  during  the  season  instead  of  declining.  True,  but  the 
probabilities  are  very  much  more  in  favor  of  a  decline,  if  any- 
thing, especially  towards  the  end  of  the  season,  for  the  reason 
that  the  wholesalers  are  likely  to  crowd  sales  at  that  particular 
time,  so  as  to  have  as  clean  a  stock  as  possible  at  the  beginning 
of  the  succeeding  season,  and  the  effect  of  this  general  effort 
to  clean  up  stock  on  the  part  of  the  wholesalers  is  usually,  and 
quite  naturally,  a  reduction  in  price.  No  wholesaler  desires 
to  be  "caught  long"  on  old  crop  teas  at  the  beginning  of  a  new 


IS  IT  WISE  TO  PLACE  AN  IMPORTATION  ORDER.      235 

tea-season,  for  old  crop  goods,  in  competition  with  new,  are, 
irrespective  of  laid-in  cost,  much  inferior  in  intrinsic  value, 
so  that  a  large  stock  of  "carried  over"  goods  means  a  consider- 
able loss  in  dollars  and  cents  as  well  as  in  prestige  to  the 
wholesaler;  hence  considerably  lower  prices  in  the  effort  to 
clean  up.  The  retailer  who  has  placed  an  importation  order 
will  find  himself  in  exactly  the  same  position  if  "caught  long'' 
at  the  end  of  the  season,  and  he  will,  as  already  stated,  find 
himself  in  no  position  to  take  up  any  advantageous  offer  which 
might  come  along. 

THIRD. — The  retailer  who  places  an  importation  order 
for  a  year's  stock  at  contract  price,  does  so  without  a  personal 
knowledge  of  facts  and  figures  to  guide  him  in  the  matter  of 
values.  He  knows,  of  course,  the  cost  of  the, various  grades  he 
has  been  using,  but  he  is  in  no  position  to  estimate  the  values 
which  conditions  will  place  upon  similar  grades  for  the  coming 
season,  therefore,  if  he  places  such  an  order,  he  must,  perforce, 
rely  upon  the  integrity  of  the  seller.  Granted  that  there  are 
few  wholesalers,  in  these  days  of  strong  competition,  who 
would  attempt  to  take  advantage  of  a  retailer's  want  of  knowl- 
edge, still,  under  such  circumstances,  it  would  appear  to  be 
a  safer  business  policy  to  await  the  arrival  of  new  goods  before 
purchasing,  and  not  to  take  chances  upon  the  grade,  or  value, 
of  an  article  which  is  still  unproduced  by  nature,  or  is  upon 
the  bushes  in  the  gardens  of  Japan,  China,  and  India  at  the 
time  of  entering  into  the  contract.  How  is  it  possible  for  a 
retailer  to  measure  the  Oriental  market  ?  Is  he  in  a  position  to 
obtain  accurate  personal  information  as  to  the  conditions  ex- 
isting, or  ruling,  in  the  tea-producing  countries  ?  Can  he  fore- 
see the  chances  of  a  large  crop  with  its  attendant  lower  prices, 
or  of  a  short  crop  with  its  higher  prices,  or  can  he  measure  the 
effect  which  favorable  rains,  or  unfavorable  droughts  will  have 
upon  the  forthcoming  crops?  What  retailer  is  in  a  position 
to  judge  as  to  the  effect  upon  prices  which  the  matter  of  mone- 


236  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

tary  exchange,  the  value  of  silver,  will  have  upon  the  value  of 
teas  ?  The  wholesaler  himself,  while  in  a  much  better  position 
to  obtain  information  through  his  cable  relations  with  Ori- 
ental commission  men,  or  through  his  buyer  upon  the  ground, 
r-till  finds  himself  in  no  position  to  gauge  the  situation  ac- 
curately. A  rain  at  a  timely  moment  might  save  a  crop  of  tea, 
and  make  a  full  crop  where  a  short  crop  was  anticipated  and 
so  create  a  slump  in  values;  or  a  lack  of  expected  seasonable 
rains  at  critical  periods  might  have  the  reverse  effect.  The 
shadow  of  a  war,  or  of  a  political  upheaval,  might  cloud  th" 
horizon  at  a  crucial  moment  and  cause  an  advance  in  tin-  value 
of  silver  and  a  consequent  inflation  of  values,  to  be  followed 
by  a  sharp  decline  when  the  cloud  was  brushed  away. 

FOURTH. — No  thinking  retailer  would  dare  to  purchase 
futures  of  canned  goods,  for  instance,  in  such  a  blind  fashion 
as  very  many  purchase  futures  of  teas.  The  purchase  of  fu- 
tures he  knows  is  decidedly  risky  and,  in  order  to  protect 
himself,  he  studies  the  existing  and  likely  future  conditions 
thoughtf ully ;  goes  over  the  ground  carefully,  and,  eventually, 
is  as  thoroughly  posted  as  the  wholesaler  himself.  In  these 
matters  he  feels  justified  in  buying  for  future  delivery  and, 
in  a  great  measure,  he  is,  but  in  purchasing  future  teas  it  is 
difficult  to  find  justification,  for  it  is  ordinarily  done  blindly. 
and  in  a  way  that,  with  any  other  line  of  goods,  no  merchant 
would  be  guilty  of. 

In  view  of  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  the  placing 
of  an  importation  order  for  teas  is  a  matter  of  blind  specula- 
tion, and  it  must  be  admitted  that  a  careful  study  of  the  sub- 
ject will  prove  that  there  are  more  chances  of  loss  to  the  re- 
tailer than  there  are  of  gain.  The  chances  of  loss  by  fire,  dam- 
age, deterioration,  lower  values,  over-stocking,  extra  expense, 
loss  of  trade,  tied-up  money,  etc.,  are  certainly  greater  than 
the  value  of  the  advertisement  of  a  private  label,  or  brand, 
which,  upon  the  whole,  is  the  only  real  advantage  which  the 


IS  IT  WISE  TO  PLACE  AN  IMPORTATION  ORDER.      237 

retailer  can  obtain  under  the  system,  so  that  it  only  remains 
for  the  retailer  to  determine  whether  the  advantage  of  a  pri- 
vate label  as  an  advertisement  is  of  sufficient  value  to  him  to 
offset  the  unfavorable  risks  which  he  takes  when  purchasing 
a  year's  supply  of  tea  under  this  system. 

To  those  retailers  whose  trade  is  largely  in  package  goods, 
such  as  half-pound  and  one-pound  packages  or  tins,  or  five- 
pound  and  ten-pound  boxes,  the  advertisement  of  a  private  la- 
bel and  private  brand  is  of  sufficient  value  to  offset  the  risks 
involved,  and  in  the  event  of  such  a  retailer  choosing  and 
registering  his  own  brand,  or  brands,  to  the  exclusion"  of  the 
wholesaler's  brand,  or  brands,  the  system  is  decidedly,  and 
even  greatly,  in  his  favor. 

On  the  other  hand  the  retailer  whose  trade  is  in  bulk  teas, 
if  he  will  give  the  subject  as  careful  a  study  as  he  gives  to  the 
purchase  of  other  future  goods,  cannot  help  but  answer  the 
question  at  the  head  of  this  chapter  in  the  negative.  He  must 
so  conclude  if  he  consults  his  own  personal  interest,  for  it  is 
much  to  his  advantage  to  allow  those  who  are  in  a  better  posi- 
tion than  he  to  take  the  risks  of  importing,  rather  than  to 
take  those  risks  himself. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 
BULK  VERSUS  PACKAGE  TEAS. 

At  some  time  during  his  business  career  every  retail  dealer 
in  teas  has  been,  or  will  be,  called  upon  to  consider  and  to  pass 
judgment  upon  the  small  tea-package  problem. 

Unfortunately  the  steady  growth  of  the  package  trade 
tends  to  prove  that  this  problem  has  not  received  that  serious 
thought  and  consideration  at  the  hands  of  tin-  retailer  which 
it  undoubtedly  deserves,  otherwise  package  teas  would  not  have 
met  with  the  success  which  has  attended  their  introduction. 

It  is  now  some  twenty  odd  years  ago  that  tin-  idea  was 
conceived,  and  today  the  country,  and  particularly  the  V 
era  part  of  it,  is  flooded  with  teas  of  all  kinds,  grades  and 
blends  packed  in  quarter,  third,  half  and  one-pound  ]•• 
packages,   cardboard   cartons,    lead-foil   packages,    and    tin-. 
These  small  packages  are  faced   with  beautifully   executed 
trade-designs,  or  trade-marks,  which  are  registered  and  thor- 
oughly protected  under  the  law.  and,  in  addition  to  these  trade- 
marks, the  importer's,  or  the  packer's,  name  and  addrt 
engraved  upon  each  package  in  conspicuous  lettering. 

The  origin  of  the  idea,  like  that  of  the  Importation  order 
system,  is  to  be  found  in  the  desire  of  the  wholesaler  to  gain, 
and  to  control,  the  tea-trade  of  the  retailer  by  getting  him 
to  introduce  to  the  consumer  a  package  of  tea  which  can  easily 
be  identified  and  called  for  by  its  brand.  The  retailer  is  fre- 
quently assisted  in  this  laudable  design  by  the  importer,  or 
owner  of  the  brand,  who  is  usually  willing  to  pay,  or  allow, 
for  judiciously  distributed  samples,  and  for  newspaper  and 
other  advertising. 

It  is  only  to  be  expected  that  teas  packed  in  identifiable 


BULK  VERSUS  PACKAGE  TEAS.         239 

packages  will  be  found  to  be  of  good  value,  good  style  and 
good  drinking  quality,  for  inasmuch  as  the  fundamental  idea 
is  to  establish  a  consumer's  demand  for  a  particular  brand,  it 
naturally  follows  that  the  .owner  of  the  brand  will  take  the 
very  best  of  care  to  have  the  goods  of  such  a  quality  at  all  times 
as  will  cause  the  consumer  to  call  for  the  brand  continuously, 
and,  this  end  attained,  the  wholesaler  not  only  has  a  strong 
hold  upon  the  retailer's  tea-trade,  but  has  a  very  valuable  asset 
in  the  established  brand  itself. 

Much  can  be  said  in  favor  of  the  system,  but  the  retailer, 
who  has  his  future  trade  and  profits  in  view,  and  cares  to  give 
the  subject  that  consideration  which  it  should  have,  cannot  but 
conclude  that  it  is  decidedly  to  his  interest  to  avoid  the  pack- 
age teas  of  others,  and  handle  either  his  own  brand  of  package 
teas,  or  carry  bulk  teas  exclusively. 

It  is  said  in  favor  of  the  system  that  it  prevents  the  loss 
of  giving  down,  or  over,  weight.  This,  it  must  be  admitted, 
is  true,  but  it  must,  also,  be  admitted  that  the  extra  cost  of 
packing  in  small  packages  will,  to  some  extent,  counterbalance 
any  loss  occasioned  in  this  way,  for  it  is  difficult  to  believe,  in 
these  days  of  perfected  scales,  that  the  loss-  by  giving  over 
weight  is  great  enough  to  warrant  the  expense  and  the  danger 
of  handling  and  establishing  the  registered  brand  of  another. 

It  is  also  said  in  favor  of  the  system,  that  it  prevents 
the  possibility  of  deterioration.  That  teas  of  all  kinds  are  sub- 
ject to  deterioration  is  well  known  to  every  one  who  has 
handled  them,  and  it  is  certainly  true  that,  when  packed  in 
small  packages,  this  danger  is  minimized.  Deterioration  is, 
however,  so  easily  prevented  that,  should  it  take  place  to  any 
extent  within  the  limits  of  a  tea-season,  the  retailer  has  no  ono 
to  blame  but  himself.  Exposure  to  the  air  is  the  main  cause 
of  deterioration  and  it  is  such  a  simple  matter  to  prevent  this 
that  it  can  be  called  nothing  but  carelessness  should  a  chest  of 
tea  lose  its  flavor  or  strength  while  in  the  hands  of  a  retailer. 


240  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

Open  teas  should  be  placed  in  a  retailing  canister,  or  caddy, 
which  is  as  nearly  air-tight  as  possible  and,  in  the  event  of 
the  canister  being  too  small  to  hold  a  full  chest,  the  remainder 
of  the  tea  should  be  carefully  covered  in  the  original  box  \viih 
the  lead  lining,  and  stored  away  in  that  part  of  the  store  which 
has  the  most  even  temperature;  care  being  taken  that  it  i« 
far  enough  away  from  fish-barrels,  soap-boxes,  or  from  anj 
goods  which  are  odorous,  for  tea  will  very  readily  absorb  flavors 
from  the  surrounding  atmosphere. 

The  above  are  the  main  reasons  given  by  the  whol- 
in  favor  of  the  system,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  these  arguments 
have  no  great  weight  in  fact. 

On  the  other  hand  very  much  more  can  be  said  in  favor 
of  handling  bulk  teas  as  against  the  package  teas  of  other-, 
provided  that  the  retailer  has  his  future  trade  and  profits 
in  view  and  is  not  influenced  by  the  easier  method  of  handling 
packages. 

In  the  first  place  the  object  of  the  wholesaler  should  be 
seriously  considered,  for  herein  lies  the  greatest,  and,  in  fact, 
the  only  real  objection  to  package  teas. 

A  package  tea  with  an  easily  recognised  trade  mark  and 
brand,  or  name,  engraved  upon  its  face,  is  placed  upon  the 
market.  Much  advertising  is  done  in  newspapers,  on  sign 
boards,  by  circulars  and  free  sampling.  The  quality  of  the 
tea  within  the  package  is  such  as  to  fully  warrant  a  good  and 
growing  demand  as  the  result  of  good  advertising.  The  con- 
sumer calls  for  the  tea  by  its  particular  brand,  becomes  ac- 
customed to,  and  likes,  its  flavor,  and  is  more  than  satisfied 
in  every  way  with  its  quality,  and  the  ultimate  outcome  i? 
that  the  dealer  is  compelled  to  keep  it  in  stock ;  forced  to  buy 
it  from  the  wholesaler,  however  much  he  may  dislike  to  d< 
and  thus  the  packer's  object  is  attained.  The  demand  grows ; 
every  retailer  carries  the  brand ;  it  spreads  from  town  to  town  ; 
from  county  to  county  and  eventually  covers  the  entire  district 


BULK  VERSUS  PACKAGE  TEAS.         241 

or  State,  and,  in  the  end,  becomes  as  staple  an  article  in  the 
community  as  granulated  sugar.  When  this  becomes  the  case — 
and  we  have  seen  it  happen — competition  is  throttled  and  the 
retailer  finds  himself  in  no  position  to  protect  himself  by  pur- 
chasing teas  from  wholesalers  who  could  do  much  better  for 
him,  on  an  equal  grade,  in  the  matter  of  price.  Then  comes 
the  cut-price  retailer  with  his  reduction  in  the  retailing  price 
of  the  brand,  and,  in  consequence,  the  dealer,  who  wishes  to 
do  a  legitimate  business,  finds  that  he  cannot  drop  the  brand, 
is  compelled  to  meet  the  cut  price,  or  lose  trade,  and  the  ulti- 
mate result  is  that  the  retailers  of  the  district  where  the  brand 
is  in  demand  will  find  themselves  in  that  position  where  their 
tea-profits  are  no  greater  than  their  profits  on  ordinary  staple?. 
Thus  the  retailer  forfeits  his  independence  as  a  tea-buyer,  and 
becomes  the  mere  employe  of  the  owner  of  the  brand;  his 
profit-getter,  in  fact;  subject  to  his  will  and  pleasure  in  the 
matter  of  the  price  to  be  paid  for  the  tea,  and  in  the  quantity 
to  be  purchased. 

In  the  second  place  the  increased  cost  of  teas  packed  in 
small  packages  should  be  considered.  It  costs  from  three  to 
four  cents  per  pound  to  pack  teas  in  one-pound  tins,  and  the 
smaller  the  package  the  greater  the  cost  per  pound.  It  costs 
from  one  to  two  cents  per  pound  to  pack  teas  in  one-pound 
paper  packages,  or  pasteboard  cartons,  and  the  cost  of  packing 
in  smaller  sizes  is  proportionately  greater.  In  addition  to  the 
cost  of  packing,  the  greater  weight  to  pay  first-class  freight 
rates  on  must  be  taken  into  consideration,  and,  from  these 
figures,  it  can  readily  be  seen  that  there  cannot  be  much 
difference  in  the  loss  either  way,  whether  an  ounce  to  the 
pound  is  lost  in  giving  down  weight  in  weighing  out  bulk  teas, 
or  in  paying  the  extra  cost  of  packing  in  small  packages  and 
the  extra  freight  on  the  package  itself. 

It  has  been  shown  that  no  material  advantage  is  to  be 
gained  by  handling  package  teas,  and  it  has,  also,  been  shown 


242  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

that  there  is  a  grave  danger  in  introducing  a  brand  of  package 
tea  owned  and  controlled  by  another;  still  it  should  be  said 
that  the  great  convenience  of  the  package  must  not  be  over- 
looked. It  certainly  is  true  that  it  is  very  convenient  to  be 
able  to  hand  out  a  package  which  needs  neither  weighing  out 
nor  wrapping  and  tying  up,  and  this  consideration  is  the  one 
and  only  advantage  which  a  package  tea  has  over  bulk. 

Admitting  this,  and  still  bearing  in  mind  the  danger 
which  should,  by  all  means,  be  avoided,  and  should  convi-nii'iu-f 
outweigh  other  considerations,  it  would  be  the  wisest  policy 
for  the  retailer  to  choose  his  own  brand;  have  his  own  namo 
upon  the  packages,  or  tins,  instead  of  that  of  the  wholesaler; 
protect  it  by  registration  and  then  he,  instead  of  an  outsider, 
would  reap  the  resulting  benefit. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

HOW  TO  ESTABLISH  A  TEA  TRADE. 

It  is  not  the  intention  in  this  chapter  to  enter  into  a 
lengthy  discussion  of  the  merits  or  demerits  of  the  various 
methods  of  advertising,  for  problems  of  this  nature  are  so 
fully  governed  by  local  and  other  conditions  and  advantages 
that  little  good  could  be  derived  from  such  a  discussion,  even 
were  the  subject  to  be  thoroughly  canvassed.  It  is,  however, 
the  intention  to  discuss  the  subject  of  tea  itself  in  its  relations 
to  advertising  of  any  and  all  kinds,  for  without  a  knowledge 
of  the  relations  referred  to  a  good  foundation  for  any  kind 
of  advertising  is  impossible,  and  but  little,  if  any,  good  could 
be  expected  from  newspaper  advertising,  circulars,  pamphlets, 
dodgers,  or  other  printed  advertisements. 

To  successfully  build  up  a  permanent  tea-business,  adver- 
tising of  some  kind  is  absolutely  necessary.  Without  advertis- 
ing, or  "push"  a  retailer  can  never  expect  to  make  material 
improvement  in  his  tea-business  and,  even  with  teas  in  stock 
which  may  be  infinitely  superior  to  those  carried  by  his  com- 
petitors, without  a  means  of  making  the  fact  known,  he  will 
continue,  year  after  year,  to  do  a  small  business  in  teas,  con- 
fined, more  than  likely,  to  his  regular  customers,  or  to  those 
who  will  naturally  trade  with  him;  while  with  energy  and 
push,  and  with  a  knowledge  of  the  channels  into  which  to  di- 
rect this  push,  he  will  find  that  he  can  draw  a  tea-trade  to  his 
store  from  sources  entirely  unexpected  and  unknown. 

In  the  first  place,  therefore,  it  is  necessary  for  the  retailer 
who  wishes  to  push  his  tea-business  to  gain  that  knowledge 
which  will  give  him  a  solid  foundation  upon  which  to  build. 


244  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

and  with  this  knowledge  gained,  he  will,  at  once,  find  himself 
in  a  position  to  advertise  his  tea  department  in  any  manner 
that  Tie  may  deem  best,  and  to  take  advantage  of  any  condi- 
tion that  may  exist,  or  arise  at  any  time,  with  a  reasonable 
assurance  that  whatever  advertising  he  indulges  in  will  bring 
satisfactory  results.! 

On  the  other  hand,  advertising,  even  if  it  be  of  the  high- 
est order  and  most  expensive  kind,  if  built  upon  a  faulty 
foundation,  cannot  do  the  good  or  bring  the  returns  expected 
of  it,  and  herein  we  will  find  the  cause  of  so  much  failure  in 
the  attempted  building  up  of  a  business,  when  the  failure  is 
attributed  by  the  advertiser  to  the  medium  of  advertising,  or 
to  some  cause  other  than  the  correct  one. 

From  the  foregoing  remarks  it  must  not  be  understood 
that  any  particular  kind  of  advertising  is  advocated,  nor,  on 
the  other  hand,  must  it  be  inferred  that  advertising,  by  any 
legitimate  means,  is  discouraged.  To  let  the  people  know 
in  some  way  is  absolutely  essential  to  success,  but  the  method 
or  methods  of  doing  it  must  be  left  to  the  discretion  of  indi- 
vidual cases. 

The  first  important  item  which  it  will  be  well  to  call  at- 
tention to  in  the  connection  is  that  one  which  relates  to  the 
healthfulness  or  unhealthfulness  of  tea  as  a  beverage,  for  it 
is  all  important  that  the  retailer  should  have  a  thorough 
knowledge  and  understanding  of  this  interesting  subject ;  and. 
as  he  cannot  but  become  convinced,  upon  examination,  that 
the  feeling  which  exists  in  many  quarters  against  the  use  of 
tea  as  a  beverage  is  prejudice,  purely  and  simply  and  without 
foundation  in  truth  or  in  reason,  this  knowledge  will  serve 
to  overcome  the  natural  dubiousness  occasioned  by  prior  honest 
convictions,  and  engender  a  greater  vim  in  pushing  tea  as  an 
article  of  consumption,  for  a  study  of  the  subject  will  prove 
that  the  drink  is  not  only  healthful,  but  infinitely  superior 


HOW  TO  ESTABLISH  A  TEA  TRADE.  245 

as  a  health-giver  to  the  vast  majority  of  beverages  which  are 
in  daily  use  by  the  human  family.; 

From  the  date  of  the  introduction  of  tea  to  the  present 
time,  physicians,  writers  and  others  have  disagreed  upon  the 
subject  of  the  healthfulness  of  tea.  Today,  if  asked  for  an 
opinion,  a  great  number  of  medical  men  would  condemn  the 
practice  of  tea-drinking,  and  yet,  if  asked  to  give  a  reason 
for  such  a  general  condemnation,  it  is,  perhaps,  safe  to  assert 
that  not  one  in  a  thousand  could  give  one  that  would  bear 
the  slightest  investigation.  This  prejudice  against  the  use  of 
tea  as  a  beverage  has  been  handed  down  through  the  genera- 
tions and,  without  doubt,  has  been  simply  taken  for  granted 
by  those  who  are  opposed  to  the  practice,  and  it  is  really  time 
that  such  an  absurd  and  unwarrantable  belief,  like  many  other 
unreasonable  notions  of  the  old  school,  was  exploded. 

Inasmuch  as  it  is  the  intention  in  this  book  to  consider  the 
subject  of  commercial  tea  only,  and  to  examine  the  various 
tea-problems  with  which  the  retailer  has  to  contend,  it  would 
be  a  serious  digression,  and  one  which  was  never  intended,  to 
enter  into  a  lengthy  discussion  of  the  subject  of  the  healthful- 
ness  of  tea,  but,  in  this  connection,  the  reader,  who  is  anxious 
to  give  the  matter  especial  study,  is  respectfully  referred  to 
the  works  of  those  authorities  who  have  given  the  chemistry 
of  the  tea-leaf  a  thorough  investigation;  works  which  may 
be  found  in  any  library. 

A  perusal  of  the  pages  of  the  works  of  many  eminent 
chemists  will  prove  that  tea,  when  correctly  made  and  prop- 
erly used,  is  not  harmful  to  the  human  system,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  the  preponderance  of  evidence  goes  to  show  that  it 
is  beneficial  as  a  beverage  and  of  considerable  value  as  a  hu- 
man food. 

It  may,  therefore,  be  taken  for  granted,  by  those  who  do 
not  wish  to  investigate  further,  that  tea  is  a  healthful  bever- 
age, and,  in  this  knowledge,  the  retailer  will  find  one  valuable 


246  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

aid  in  building  up  his  tea-business.  Arguments  and  proofs 
to  this  effect  may  be  embodied  in  advertising  matter;  may 
be  used,  verbally,  over  the  counter  whenever  the  opportunity 
affords,  and  not  only  will  it  have  its  effect,  but  it  will  go  far 
to  prove  that  the  retailer  has  made  a  study  of  the  subject,  and 
knows  whereof  he  speaks.  Vast  numbers  of  people  who  really 
like  tea  do  not  use  it  for  the  reason  that  it  is  so  frequently 
condemned  as  injurious.  Many  people  of  this  belief  would 
make  easy  converts.  Vast  numbers,  also,  are  slowly  in- 
juring their  health  by  the  use  of  the  many  noxious,  and 
really  harmful  and  absurd  decoctions  which  are  extensively 
advertised  as  "health  drinks"  or  as  tea  and  coffee  substitute?. 
If  tea  were  proved  to  be  healthful,  how  many  of  these  would 
use  it  in  preference  to  the  insipid  beverages  mentioned  ?  And 
those  who  use  it  habitually,  notwithstanding  their  belief  in 
its  harmfulness,  would  be  more  than  pleased  to  discover  that 
their  belief  was  without  foundation.  And  last,  but  not  least, 
it  may  be  said,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that  the  mer- 
chant who  undertakes  to  combat  such  an  erroneous  public 
opinion  will  certainly  be  looked  upon  as  one  who  possesses 
superior  knowledge,  and  this  to  the  betterment  of  his  trade 
and  store. 

Tea,  to  be  healthful,  however,  must  be  properly  made,  and 
a  knowledge  of  how  to  do  this  will  be  found  to  be  another 
valuable  aid  in  the  building  up  of  a  tea-business.  The  im- 
proper methods  of  making  tea,  which  are,  unfortunately,  in 
quite  general  use  in  the  United  States,  are  mainly,  if  not 
entirely,  responsible  for  the  belief  in  the  unhealthfulness  of 
the  beverage.  This  being  the  case  it  is  really  essential  that 
the  dealer  should  possess  a  knowledge  of  the  proper  method 
of  making,  or,  more  correctly  speaking,  brewing  tea,  in  order 
that  he  may  be  able  to  impart  this  knowledge  to  the  consumer. 
In  doing  this  he  will  not  only  aid  himself  materially,  but  will 


HOW  TO  ESTABLISH  A  TEA  TRADE.  247 

teach  his  customers  to  make  a  beverage  so  healthful  and  de- 
licious that  an  ever  increasing  demand  will  result. 

Without  going  deeply  into  the  chemistry  of  the  tea-leaf 
it  will  be  sufficient  for  all  practical  purposes  to  touch  light!}7 
upon  the  action  of  its  three  main  active  principles,  which  are 
known  to  chemists  as  Theine,  Essential  Oil  and  Tannin  or 
Tannic  Acid. 

In  the  proper  preparation  of  an  infusion  of  tea  the  two 
former  principles  are  extracted  by  the  hot  water,  for  reason:: 
given  hereafter,  to  the  exclusion  of  as  much  as  possible  of  the 
Tannin. 

Theine, — sometimes  pronounced  Tay-een;  correctly  pro- 
nounced Tay-in — the  alkaloid  of  tea,  is  that  principle  which 
imparts  to  the  infusion  its  wholesomeness  and  refreshing 
qualities. 

Dr.  Williams,  when  a  professor  of  Yale  College  in  1883, 
has  the  following  to  say  about  it.* 

"Theine  has  no  smell  and  a  slightly  bitter  taste,  and  does 
not,  therefore,  attract  us  to  drink  the  infusion;  but  chemists 
tell  us  that  it  contains  nearly  thirty  per  cent,  of  nitrogen.  The 
salts  of  other  beverages,  as  coffee  and  cocoa,  likewise  contain 
much  nitrogen,  and  all  tend  to  repair  the  waste  going  on  in  the 
human  system,  reduce  the  amount  of  solid  food  necessary, 
diminish,  too,  the  wear  and  tear  of  the  body  and  consequent 
lassitude  of  the  mind,  and  maintain  the  vigor  of  both  upon  a 
smaller  amount  of  food.  Tea  does  this  more  pleasantly,  per- 
haps, than  any  of  the  others;  but  it  does  more  than  they  for 
old  people  in  supplementing  the  impaired  powers  of  digestion, 
and  helping  them  to  maintain  their  flesh  and  uphold  the  sys- 
tem in  health  longer  than  they  otherwise  would." 

Dr.  Liebig,  the  eminent  German  chemist,  in  his  "Animal 
Chemistry"  says :  "If  an  infusion  of  tea  contain  no  more  than 
the  one-tenth  of  a  grain  of  theine,  still,  if  it  contribute  in  point 
*"The  Middle  Kingdom,"  by  S.  Wells  Williams,  LL.  D. 


248  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

of  fact  to  the  formation  of  bile,  the  action  even  of  such  .1 
quantity  cannot  be  looked  upon  as  a  nullity. 

"Without  entering  minutely  into  the  medicinal  action  of 
theine  it  will  surely  appear  a  most  striking  fact,  even  if  wo 
chose  to  deny  its  influence  on  the  process  of  secretion,  that 
this  substance  with  the  action  of  oxygen  and  the  elements  of 
water  can  yield  taurine,  the  nitrogenised  compound  peculiar 
to  bile.  Thus  we  may  say  of  these  nitrogenised  compounds, 
caffeine  or  theine,  that  they  are  food  for  the  liver  since  tlu\y 
contain  the  elements  by  the  presence  of  which  that  organ  is 
enabled  to  perform  its  functions." 

The  Essential  or  Volatile  Oil  of  Tea  is  that  principle  of 
the  leaf  which  imparts  the  flavory  aroma  to  the  infusion  and 
strength  to  the  liquor.  The  quantity  contained  in  an  ordinary 
brew  of  tea  is  so  small  that  but  little  need  be  said  as  to  its  ef- 
fect upon  the  human  system. 

Albert  B.  Prescott,  Professor  of  Organic  and  Applied 
Chemistry  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  in  his  article  upon 
"The  Chemistry  of  Coffee  and  Tea"  1882,  says:  "The  fra- 
grant principle  of  tea,  the  essential  oil,  has  not  been  separated 
in  notable  quantities,  but  it  is  recognized  as  a  diffusible  stim- 
ulant, transient  and  harmless  in  its  effect  on  the  system,  and 
certainly  attracting  no  little  favor  to  the  tea-cup." 

It  is  claimed  by  some  chemists  that  the  Essential  Oil  of 
tea  acts  in  such  a  way  upon  the  human  system  that  nervous 
troubles  and  insomnia  result,  but,  if  we  may  be  permitted  to 
judge  by  the  effects  of  tea-drinking  upon  the  races  of  the  earth 
who  use  tea  the  most — and  we  know  that  tea  cannot  be  made 
without  extracting  the  volatile  oil — then  it  will  be  perfectly  safe 
to  assume  that  the  oil  of  tea  is,  at  least,  harmless.  Who  can  make 
the  claim  that  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  are  a  nervous  race? 
Are  we  not  accustomed  to  look  upon  these,  and  upon  the 
English,  Irish,  Scottish  and  Russian  races  as  the  most  stolid 
and  healthy  upon  the  face  of  the  globe  ?  These  peoples  are  not 


HOW  TO  ESTABLISH  A  TEA  TRADE.  249 

troubled,  to  any  extent,  with  nervousness  or  insomnia,  and 
yet  they  are  the  greatest  consumers  of  tea  in  the  world ! 

Tannin. — The  effect  of  this  constituent  part  of  the  tea- 
leaf  upon  the  animal  economy  is  known  to  be  deleterious.  It 
imparts  to  the  improperly  made  liquid  a  bitter  astringency 
which  cannot  be  otherwise  than  harmful.  It  is  present  in  the 
tea-leaf  in  large  quantities,  and  it  is  to  this  principle  that  the 
beverage  owes  its  unpopularity  in  many  quarters. 

Professor  Prescott  says:  "In  tea  the  proportion  (of 
tannin)  is  large,  ranging,  according  to  the  lowest  statements, 
from  9  per  cent,  to  12  per  cent,  and  placed  by  some  authorities 
as  high  as  30  per  cent,  to  40  per  cent.  But  it  is  important  to 
know  that  only  a  small  part  of  this  tannin  is  extracted  from 
the  leaf  in  the  suitable  preparation  of  the  beverage.  Some  ex- 
periments with  tea  as  it  is  prepared  for  the  table  gave,  for  a 
five  fluid  ounce  cup  of  the  liquid,  in  ten  instances  an  average 
content  of  a  trifle  over  one  grain  of  tannin.  Other  experi- 
ments with  tea,  after  five  minutes'  steeping,  gave,  in  twelve 
instances,  an  average  of  tannin  equal  to  only  8-100  per  cent, 
of  the  dry  leaf.  In  another  case,  by  thirty  minutes  active  boil- 
ing, so  much  tannin  as  11%  per  cent,  of  the  tea-leaf  was  ob- 
tained in  solution/' 

From  the  above  brief  descriptions  of  the  main  active  prin- 
ciples of  the  tea-leaf  it  will  be  readily  understood  that  the 
only  proper  method  of  brewing  tea  is  that  one  which  will  draw 
out  the  two  beneficial  principles,  Theine  and  the  Essential  Oil, 
from  the  leaves  and  allow  as  much  as  possible  of  the  Tannin 
to  remain  therein.  Happily  this  is  not  at  all  difficult  to  ac- 
complish, for  inasmuch  as  the  Theine  and  Essential  Oil  are 
very  much  more  soluble  in  boiling  water  than  the  Tannin,  a 
little  care  is  all  that  is  necessary  in  order  to  produce  a  good 
and  healthful  drink. 

The  following  method  of  brewing  tea,  if  carefully  fol- 


250  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

lowed — and  it  is  just  as  easy  to  do  it  carefully  as  otherwise — 
will  produce,  at  all  times,  a  wholesome,  delicious  beverage. 

RULES  FOR  BREWING  TEA. 

1st.    Use  nothing  but  freshly  boiled  water. 

2nd.  Use  two  common  earthenware  tea-pots,  both  of 
which  must  be  perfectly  clean  and  heated  either  on  the  stove 
or  by  the  use  of  hot  water  and  dried. 

3rd.  Use  one  large  tea-spoonful  of  tea-leaves  to  every 
half-pint  of  boiling  water.  The  quantity  used  may  be  in- 
creased or  decreased  according  to  strength  desired. 

4th.  Place  the  required  quantity  of  tea-leaves  in  one  of 
the  tea-pots,  then  pour  the  desired  quantity  of  boiling  water 
over  the  leaves.  Place  the  tea-pot  cover  quickly  in  place  in 
order  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  aroma.  Then  set  the  tea-pot 
at  the  back  of  the  stove,  where  it  will  keep  as  closely  as  pos- 
sible to  the  original  temperature  of  the  water.  Never,  um1^- 
any  circumstances,  allow  the  water  to  boil  after  having  been 
poured  over  the  tearleaves.  Allow  the  pot  to  remain  for  from 
five  to  six  minutes,  if  the  tea  is  of  a  black  variety,  and  from 
eight  to.  ten  minutes  if  Japan  or  China  green  tea  is  used. 

5th.  After  the  required  time  for  infusion  has  elapsed, 
pour  the  liquid  into  the  second  pot,  using  a  tea-pot  spout- 
strainer  so  that  none  of  the  leaves  will  escape  from  the  first 
into  the  second  pot.  In  making  this  transfer  of  the  infusion 
from  one  pot  to  the  other  care  should  be  taken  to  see  that  tho 
second  pot  has  been  previously  heated. 

6th.  The  tea-pot  is  now  ready  for  the  table  and  the  tea 
should  be  served  as  quickly  as  possible.  The  use  of  the  English 
tea-cozy  will  be  found  to  be  of  great  advantage  in  keeping 
the  tea-pot  and  its  contents  hot  while  on  the  table.  A  cozy  is 
made  in  the  shape  of  a  cover  for  the  entire  pot  and  looks  like 
an  old-fashioned  cocked  hat.  It  is  made  of  decorated  goods  with 


HOW  TO  ESTABLISH  A  TEA  TRADE.  251 

a  cloth  lining  and  between  the  goods  and  lining  is  placed  a  very 
considerable  thickness  of  cotton  batting.  Such  a  covering  for 
the  tea-pot  will  aid  in  retaining  the  heat  for  a  long  time. 

In  explanation  of  the-  above  rules  a  few  remarks  aro 
necessary. 

Freshly  boiled  water,,  or  water  that  has  been  at  the  boil- 
ing point  not  to  exceed  a  few  minutes,  is  really  necessary  in 
order  to  procure  the  best  results.  If  water  that  has  been 
boiled  for  some  time,  or  that  which  has  been  re-boiled,  is  used, 
the  life  of  the  water  is  entirely  gone  from  it,  and  the  tea,  made 
from  such  water,  will  be  flat  and  insipid ;  lacking  in  that  life 
which  is  necessary. 

Earthenware  tea-pots  are  much  better  than  metal  pots 
of  any  kind,  for  the  reason  that  they  can  be  kept  cleaner  and 
are  not  liable  to  impart  a  metallic  flavor  to  the  infusion.  The 
Chinese  and  Japanese,  who  are  very  familiar  with  the  subject, 
invariably  use  earthenware  pots  and  tea-cups.  The  idea  of 
using  two  pots  is  a  good  one,  for  the  reason  that,  after  the 
infusion  has  been  poured  off  the  leaves  into  the  second  pot, 
all  danger  of  extracting  tannin  from  the  leaves  is  obviated, 
and  the  last  cup  of  tea  in  the  second  pot  will  be  as  good  as 
the  first,  which  could  not  be  the  case  if  the  infusion  were  to 
remain  upon  the  tea-leaves  in  the  first  pot. 

Allowing  the  liquid  to  boil  upon  the  stove,  that  is,  after 
having  been  poured  over  the  leaves,  will  produce  a  decoction 
instead  of  an  infusion  of  tea,  and  the  result  will  be  an  acrid, 
astringent,  puckery  liquid,  heavily  impregnated  with  tannin, 
and  quite  unfit  for  use. 

Black  teas,  particularly  Assams,  Ceylons  and  Indio-Cey- 
lon  blends  contain  a  much  greater  percentage  of  tannin  than 
Japans  and  China  greens,  and,  for  this  reason,  they  should  not 
be  allowed  to  infuse  longer  than  six  minutes;  while  Japans, 
Ooloongs  and  Green  teas,  owing  to  their  lesser  percentage  of 
tannin,  may  be  infused  for  the  longer  period  of  from  eight  to 


252  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

ten  minutes.  In  altitudes  of  five  thousand  feet,  or  there- 
abouts, above  sea-level,  teas  will  take  a  little  longer  to  infuse, 
owing  to  the  decreased  quantity  of  oxygen  in  the  atmosphere, 
but  a  little  practice  will  quickly  demonstrate  the  requisite 
length  of  time  necessary  for  perfect  infusion  in  these  high  al- 
titudes. For  the  same  reason  the  water  should  be  allowed  to 
boil  for  some  minutes  longer  in  high  altitudes  before  pouring 
it  over  the  tea-leaves. 

The  next  item  that  it  will  be  well  to  mention,  as  a  connect- 
ing link  in  the  chain  of  aids  in  the  building  up  of  a  tea-trade, 
is  the  cheapness  of  tea  as  a  beverage. 

A  pound  of  tea  that  is  worth  the  money  paid  for  it — one, 
for  instance,  that  will  allow  the  dealer  a  reasonable  margin  of 
profit  when  retailed  at  oOc,  75c  or  $1  per  Ib. — will  return  to 
the  consumer  from  200  to  250  ordinary  cups  of  the  beverage ; 
and  it  will  be  a  beverage  that  is  full-bodied,  pleasing  and 
healthful. 

Cheap  teas  are  dear  at  any  price;  the  consumer  will  find 
them  so,  and  so  will  the  dealer. 

Goods  that  retail,  ordinarily,  at  from  25  cents  to  35 
cents  per  Ib.,  will  produce  from  120  to  175  cups,  at  most,  of 
a  beverage  that  is  undesirable  in  every  particular;  thin,  life- 
less, and  without  flavor. 

These  figures  show  that  the  beverage  made  from  the 
higher  grade  teas — 75c  and  $1  at  retail — costs  less  than  a  half- 
cent  per  cup,  and  that  that  of  the  medium  grades — 50c  and 
60c  teas — costs  less  than  a  quarter-cent  per  cup;  whereas  a 
beverage  made  from  cheap  tea — 25c  to  35c  teas  at  retail— 
costs  as  much  per  cup  as  that  of  the  medium  grades. 

The  figures  are  interesting,  also,  in  that  they  prove  that 
tea  produces  a  drink,  even  if  the  most  costly  kinds  are  used, 
that  is  infinitely  cheaper  as  a  beverage  than  others  of  the  kind, 
such  as  coffee,  chocolate,  cocoa,  cereal  drinks — arguments  of 


HOW  TO  ESTABLISH  A  TEA  TRADE.  253 

the  makers  of  the  latter  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding — etc. 

It  is  not  often  that  arguments  of  the  kind  are  used  in 
favor  of  the  drink,  and  it  is  safe  to  assert  that  few  con- 
sumers ever  attempt  to  figure  out  the  cost  per  cup  of  their 
beverages,  so  that  the  embodiment  of  such  figures  and  state- 
ments in  advertisements  can  hardly  fail  to  create  consideration 
or  attract  attention,  and  so  aid  the  dealer  in  his  efforts  to  build 
up  his  tea-department. 

The  figures  may,  also,  be  used  to  good  advantage  in 
pushing  and  in  creating  a  demand  for  better  class  teas. 
Many  consumers  that,  for  the  sake  of  economy,  are  pur- 
chasing cheap  teas,  would  be  glad  to  learn  that  their 
economy  is  a  false  one,  and  these  would  not  be  slow  to  pur- 
chase better  teas  when  it  is  shown  to  them  that  a  50c  tea  is 
just  as  cheap  as  a  30c  one,  as  far  as  the  number  of  cups  to  the 
pound  is  concerned ;  and  that  the  better  tea  is  infinitely  cheaper 
if  quality  is  taken  into  consideration. 

Such  items  as  the  foregoing,  if  well  put  before  the  public, 
are  bound  to  have  the  desired  effect. 

The  next  item  which  it  will  be  well  to  investigate  in  con- 
nection with  the  subject  on  hand  is  the  tea  itself;  its  Jcind&nd 
grade. 

A  peculiarity  of  the  retail  tea-trade  in  the  United  States 
is  to  be  found  in  the  well  defined  sectional  preferences  for 
specific  kinds  of  teas.  These  preferences  are  naturally  created 
and  regulated  by  the  demands  of  the  preponderant  population. 
In  strictly  American  communities  Japans,  Ooloongs  and  China 
green  teas  predominate,  with  a  much  heavier  demand  for  the 
several  kinds  and  grades  of  Japans.  In  communities  popu- 
lated largely  by  persons  of  English,  Scotch,  Irish  or  British- 
Colonial  birth  or  extraction,  black  teas  and  black  blends  pre- 
vail. In  the  Southern  States,  China  green  teas  are  in  the 
greater  demand,  while  in  the  great  Central  and  Western  agri- 


254  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

cultural  States  by  far  the  heavier  demand  is  for  Sun-cured, 
Pan-fired  and  Basket-fired  Japans. 

In  attempting  to  push  his  tea-trade  the  wise  merchant 
will  confine  himself  to  the  kinds  which  are  in  demand  in  his 
district,  for  it  certainly  would  be  a  serious  mistake  to  attempt 
to  advertise  or  push  a  kind  of  tea  to  which  the  people  are  un- 
accustomed. A  consumer  of  Japan  tea  can  find  no  satisfaction 
in  a  black  tea,  even  if  the  black  tea  be  of  a  very  much  more 
costly  grade  than  the  Japan;  and  the  consumer  of  a  black, 
Ooloong,  or  China  green  tea  has  the  same  objection  to  a 
Japan ;  so,  for  this  reason,  it  is  not  wise  to  attempt  to  educate 
the  taste  of  a  community — it  is  hardly  likely  to  pay.  It  may 
be  possible,  and  even  profitable,  to  introduce  a  Sun-cured,  or 
Pan-fired  Japan  however,  to  a  Basket-fired  drinking  com- 
munity and  vice  versa,  or  to  replace  a  Congou  with  an  Indian 
or  Ceylon,  or  the  reverse,  but  to  attempt  to  push  a  green  tea 
where  black  teas  are  in  demand  would  be  worse  than  useless. 
A  few  consumers  might  be  converted,  but  only  a  few,  and 
there  would  be  really  no  good  reason  for  making  the  attempt 
as  far  as  profit  was  concerned. 

Before  attempting  to  push  a  brand  or  grade  of  tea.  it 
is  very  advisable  to  be  absolutely  sure  on  two  points,  and 
these  are: — 

1st.  To  carefully  choose  the  tea,  or  teas,  upon  which  the 
effort  is  to  be  made,  and 

2nd.  To  be  absolutely  sure  that  the  chosen  tea,  or  teas, 
can  be  exactly  replaced  during  the  existing  season,  and  matched 
as  closely  as  possible  during  succeeding  seasons. 

With  regard  to  the  choice  of  teas  many  important  matters 
must  be  taken  into  consideration.  In  the  first  place  the  tea 
chosen  should  be  one  that  will  retail  at  the  popular  price. 

It  is  not  good  policy  to  attempt  to  push  a  tea  at  a  higher 
selling  price  than  competitive  merchants  are  getting,  even  if 


HOW  TO  ESTABLISH  A  TEA  TRADE.  255 

the  tea  is  worth  the  difference,  so  that  if  the  tea  chosen  is  of 
greater  value  than  that  used  by  competitors,  so  much  the  bet- 
ter ;  it  will  pay,  in  the  long  run,  to  sell  it  at  a  competitive  price. 

In  the  second  place  the- tea  chosen  must  be  suitable  to  the 
water  of  the  district. 

Without  doubt  the  suitability  of  the  tea  to  the  water 
is  the  most  important  item  in  the  matter  of  choosing  a  tea, 
and  yet  it  is  rarely  that  a  thought  is  given  to  such  a  matter. 
It  is  a  well  known  fact  among  tea-men  that  teas  will  draw  very 
differently  in  different  kinds  of  water,  some  teas  being  better 
suited  to  hard,  and  others  to  soft  water.  Pure,  soft  water,  how- 
ever, will  invariably  give  the  better  result  in  the  infusion, 
will  show  up  a  good  tea  to  the  best  advantage,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  it  will  prove  up  a  poor  tea  that  might  pass  muster  in 
impure  water.  Pure  water,  inasmuch  as  it  contains  no  min- 
eral, can  have  no  chemical  action  upon  the  leaves  and  it,  there- 
fore, has  a  much  better  chance  to  draw  out  the  good  or  the  bad 
qualities  of  a  tea  than  a  water  that  is  impregnated  with  al- 
kali, salts,  iron,  lime,  gypsum  or  other  foreign  matter.  High 
or  medium  grade,  flavory  teas  that  have  no  foreign  or  un- 
natural flavor,  therefore,  are  much  better  suited  to  pure,  soft 
water,  and,  if  infused  in  hard  or  impure  water,  their  sensitive 
flavor  will,  in  a  great  measure,  be  destroyed.  The  harsher, 
highly-fired,  highly-toasted  teas  are  better  for  hard  water,  for 
they  will  endure  the  action  of  the  chemicals  held  in  solution 
to  much  better  advantage. 

It  will  readily  be  seen,  from  the  above,  that  a  hap-hazard 
method  of  buying  teas  is  particularly  dangerous  and  should, 
by  all  means,  be  avoided  by  the  retailer  who  wishes  to  estab- 
lish a  permanent  and  growing  tea-business.  Teas  which  are 
suitable  to  the  water  are  so  easily  obtainable  that  there  is 
really  no  excuse  for  a  dealer  to  make  the  mistake  of  handling 
those  that  are  not.  Any  reputable  wholesaler  can  supply  teas 
suitable  to  the  water  of  any  district  and,  on  demand,  would 


256  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

only  be  too  glad  to  furnish  samples,  answer  questions,  and  give 
advice;  then  with  a  little  intelligent  experimenting  on  the  part 
of  the  retailer,  which  can  be  done  at  a  very  trifling  or,  per- 
haps, no  expense;  or  better  yet  the  submission  of  the  procured 
samples  to  a  tea-expert  for  examination  and  report,  a  very  sat- 
isfactory result  would  be  obtained. 

The  cost  price  of  a  suitable  tea  should  not  be  the  first 
consideration,  for,  to  obtain  just  the  tea  that  is  needed,  it  i« 
quite  possible  that  the  dealer  will  be  compelled  to  pay  a  few 
cents  per  pound  more  than  he  has  been  accustomed  to  pay  for 
a  similar  grade,  although  it  is  quite  probable  that  the  reverse 
may  happen.  In  the  long  run  it  will  pay  the  dealer  to  con- 
sider quality  and  suitability  first,  and  cost  afterwards,  for 
wherein  is  the  advantage  if  a  few  cents  per  pound  are  BI 
in  the  purchase  and  the  tea  prove  a  slow  seller  on  account  of 
its  unsuitability  ?  There  are  "dealers  who  will  argue  that  tea 
is  tea,  and  that  it  ought  to  be  suitable  if  the  price  is  paid,  an«l 
that  it  will  sell  anyway.  This  may  be  true,  but  many  tea- 
drinkers  will  go  to  other  stores  to  purchase  a  suitable  tea,  even 
if  nothing  else  is  purchased,  so  that  the  dealer  who  handles 
unsuitable  teas  is  always  in  danger  of  losing  a  customer's  tea- 
trade,  if  not  his  entire  grocery  trade  through  this  one  fault. 

Teas,  when  graded  in  the  Orient,  or  in  the  American 
market,  are  subject  to  certain  qualifications  which  are  con- 
tained within  themselves.  For  instance:  The  grader  values 
style  at  so  much;  flavor,  so  much;  liquor,  so  much;  bod 
much ;  and  the  combined  whole  creates  an  intrinsic  or,  at  least, 
a  market  value.  Inasmuch,  therefore,  as  each  quality  con- 
tained within  the  tea  has  been  appraised  and  valued,  it  stands 
to  reason  that  it  must  be  paid  for  by  the  retailer,  although  ho, 
owing  to  the  quality  of  the  water  of  his  district,  may  pay  for, 
and  not  obtain,  one  or  several  qualities.  For  instance,  again : 
In  valuing  a  tea,  a  clear,  lustrous  liquor  in  the  cup  has  added 
several  cents  per  pound  to  its  value.  It  has,  of  course,  been 


HOW  TO  ESTABLISH  A  TEA  TRADE.  257 

tested  by  the  grader  in  pure,  soft  water;  and  it  may  happen 
that  the  same  tea,  when  drawn  in  the  water  of  the  retailer's 
district,  will  yield  a  much  inferior  liquor,  caused,  of  course, 
by  the  impurities  which  the- water  contains.  This,  of  course, 
is  the  fault  of  the  water,  and  not  of  the  tea;  but  if  the  tea 
is  the  tea  which  the  dealer  wants,  he  must  pay  for  this  in- 
trinsic value  which  the  tea  possesses,  but  which  he  cannot 
obtain. 

In  districts  where  several  or  many  kinds  and  grades  of 
teas  are  in  demand  the  same  general  rules  with  regard  to  a 
choice  will  hold  good;  but  it  would  be  a  very  wise  procedure 
on  the  part  of  the  retailer  to  choose  the  grade  and  kind  which 
is  in  greater  demand  and,  upon  this  particular  kind  and 
grade,  to  make  his  initial  experiments  and  effort.  The  remain- 
ing kinds  and  grades  will,  naturally,  follow  in  the  order  of 
their  importance,  and,  eventually,  the  retailer  will  own  a  line 
of  teas  which  will  fully  warrant  and  back  up  any  or  all  efforts 
he  may  make,  or  methods  he  may  deem  advisable  to  employ, 
to  let  the  people  know. 

It  will  be  useless,  however,  to  attempt  to  build  up  a  tea 
trade  on  grades  which  cannot  be  replaced,  so  that,  before  a 
choice  is  made,  the  retailer  will  do  very  well  to  be  very  sure 
on  this  point.  The  better  plan  is  to  experiment  with  the  stand- 
ard brands  of  well  known  importers,  for,  in  this  case,  the 
assistance  of  the  importer  will,  naturally,  be  assured,  for  the 
reason  that  much  care  is  exercised  by  importers  in  the  yearly 
matching  of  their  adopted  standard  brands. 

The  style  of  the  tea  to  be  chosen  is  the  next  important 
consideration. 

The  "style"  of  a  tea  is  the  term  used  by  the  trade  to  desig- 
nate its  general  appearance  as  a  whole.  A  stylish  tea  is  one 
whose  leaves  are  regular,  well  curled  or  rolled,  and  its  color 
even  and  good.  Teas  of  poor  style  are  the  reverse  in  appear- 


258  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

ance,  their  leaves  being  irregular,  ragged,  flat,  loosely  rolled, 
twisted  or  curled,  and  of  a  dull  color  showing  a  lack  of  life. 
There  are,  of  course,  teas  of  good  style,  fair  style,  medium 
style  and  poor  style. 

While,  in  the  choice  of  a  tea,  style  must  be  considered, 
still  it  must,  at  all  times,  be  a  secondary  consideration  to  cup 
qualities  and  suitability.  A  stylish  tea  does  not  always  desig- 
nate a  tea  of  superior  cup  qualities,  for  it  frequently  happens 
that  the  maker  of  the  tea  has  hurt  its  drinking  qualities  in  his 
efforts  to  gain  style,  therefore  it  is  always  best,  for  any  pur- 
pose, to  test  a  stylish  tea. 

Assuming  that  the  tea,  or  teas,  have  been  chosen,  the  next 
point  for  consideration  will  be  "In  what  shape  shall  they  be 
sold  to  the  consumer?"  Inasmuch  as  the  main  idea  is  to  create 
and  to  hold  a  demand  for  a  certain  tea,  or  teas,  it  becomes 
in •« issary  to  adopt  some  plan  or  system  which  will  identify  the 
goods  in  order  that  the  consumers  may  be  absolutely  certain 
that  they  are  getting  the  same  goods  from  time  to  time.  Noth- 
ing can  be  more  effective  for  this  purpose  than  a  distinctive 
paper  bag  with  the  name  of  the  retailer  and  his  registered 
brand  printed  thereon.  A  half-pound  or  a  pound  of  tea  done 
up  in  an  attractive  package,  neatly  folded  and  tied,  suggests 
more  than  ordinary  care  and  pride  in  the  article  contained 
within,  and  the  difference  between  such  a  method  and  the 
very  common  practice  of  sending  out  teas  in  ordinary  Manila 
paper  bags,  frequently  done  up  untidily,  would  be  immediately 
noticed,  and,  in  itself,  would  constitute  a  really  good  advertise- 
ment. 

Silver  or  gold  paper  bags,  although  more  costly,  are  the 
best  for  the  purpose,  and  can  be  obtained  from  any  paper 
house,  printed  to  order.  Tied  up  neatly  with  colored  twine, 
the  package,  thus  made  up,  presents  a  very  business-like  ap- 
pearance, and  suggests  to  the  recipient  that  extraordinary  care 


HOW  TO  ESTABLISH  A  TEA  TRADE.  259 

has  been  used  by  the  storekeeper  in  preserving  the  contents  of 
the  package,  and,  if  extraordinary  care  has  been  taken,  it 
necessarily  suggests  that  the  storekeeper  knows  that  the  tea 
is  good. 

Then  again  the  brand  upon  the  package  is  an  advertise- 
ment of  great  value,  and,  if  registered,  as  it  certainly  should 
be,  it  will,  at  all  times,  be  not  only  an  absolute  protection 
against  unscrupulous  competition  or  imitation,  but  will  be- 
come a  very  valuable  asset  for  which  the  retailer  can  demand 
and  obtain  a  good  round  sum  should  he,  at  any  time,  decide 
to  sell  out  his  business. 

In  establishing  a  trade-mark  or  registered  brand  it  is 
best  to  use  the  name  and  the  picture  of  some  object  of  local 
prominence;  the  simpler  and  more  easily  remembered  the 
better.  When  selected,  any  attorney-at-law  will,  for  a  few 
dollars,  obtain  the  registration  papers.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  obtain  registration  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  but,  at  the  capital 
of  the  State  in  which  the  dealer  does  business.  This  means 
State  protection  only;  United  States  protection  must  be  ob- 
tained at  Washington.  A  photograph  or  a  sketch  of  the  object 
sent  to  the  paper  house  will  enable  that  concern  to  have  a  cut 
made  for  printing  purposes,  and  the  expense  is  at  an  end. 

With  the  paper  bags  once  on  hand,  the  entire  contents  of 
a  chest  of  tea  may  be  weighed  out  carefully  and  done  up  into 
half-pound  and  pound  packages  at  the  leisure  of  the  dealer. 
This  will  not  only  prevent  the  possibility  of  giving  down 
weight,  but  will  give  the  necessary  time  to  make  a  neater 
package,  and  will  materially  aid  in  preserving  the  tea  from 
loss  of  flavor. 

It  has  been  intimated  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter 
that  the  style  or  kind  of  advertising  adopted  must,  for  ob- 
vious reasons,  be  left  to  individual  cases. 

There  is,  however,  one  kind  of  advertising  which  never 


260  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

fails  to  bring  good  returns  and  it  will  be  well  to  discuss  it. 
for  it  can  be  made  to  fit  any  or  all  cases,  and  the  dealer  wli-.> 
has  placed  himself  in  a  position  to  do  so  as  far  as  goods,  etc., 
are  concerned,  is  strongly  advised  to  try  it.    The  advert 
referred  to  is  the  giving  away  of  free  samples. 

In  reality  there  is  no  advertising  equal  to  judic  iou- 
tematic  sampling,  that  is,  provided  that  the  owner  of  the  ad- 
vertised article  knows  that  it  is  of  exceptional  value,  and  just 
right. 

Sampling  fails  only  when  meagcrly  done.  With  . 
this  would  mean  the  giving  away  of  an  ounce  or  so  to  a  pro-- 
pective  customer,  and  to  do  it  in  this  way  is  simply  a  waste  of 
money  and  time.  Sampling,  when  properly  dour,  and  the 
goods  are  what  they  should  be,  never  fails  to  briny  Ihr  rmj 
best  percentage  of  returns;  and  in  advertising  a  tea  tin-  plac- 
ing of  a  one-pound  package  into  the  hands  of  every  prospei -t  i\  >• 
customer  is  the  only  proper  way  to  do  it  in  order  to  make  sure 
of  success.  True  it  is  costly,  but  it  will  do  the  work.  It  means 
thirty-five  or  forty-five  dollars  for  each  hundred  packa^ 
given  out,  but  those  thirty-five  or  forty-five  dollars  so  expend--.! 
will  do  three  or  four  times  the  work  of  the  same  amount  of 
money  expended  in  printed  advertising,  if  not  a  great  deal 
more.  The  pound  of  tea  will  be  respected  by  each  recipient, 
for  it  is  valuable;  it  may  take  each  of  them  a  month,  or 
longer,  to  use  it  up,  but,  during  that  period  of  consumption 
a  large  percentage  of  them  will  acquire  a  decided  taste  for  the 
flavor  of  the  tea,  and  the  sampling  has  done  its  work  and  done 
it  well.  Then  will  begin  a  call  for  the  brand  :  it  will  be  talked 
about  at  the  homes  of  consumers;  at  afternoon  teas:  at  moth- 
er's meetings,  and  the  retailer  will  then  be  able  to  congratulate 
himself  upon  having  expended  thirty-five  or  forty-five  dollar.- 
to  a  very  good  advantage. 

The  attempt  may  be  made  slowly,  and  results  carefully 
tallied.     Half-a-hundred  may  be  tried,  and  it  is  confidently 


HOW  TO  ESTABLISH  A  TEA  TRADE.  261 

believed  that  the  result  will  warrant  a  continuation  of  the 
plan. 

It  is  simply  throwing  money  away  to  sample  gingerly.  It 
looks  mean  to  present  a  prospective  customer  with  a  tiny 
sample  done  up  in  a  tiny  envelope,  suitable  only  for  a  single 
drawing.  Many  will  never  think  to  try  such  a  sample,  and 
those  who  do  try  it  cannot  have  a  chance  to  give  the  goods  a 
fair  trial  from  such  a  small  quantity.  Therefore,  if  a  mer- 
chant undertakes  to  advertise  his  brand  of  tea  by  sampling,  let 
him  do  it  liberally,  or  not  at  all. 

In  conjunction  with  judicious  sampling  a  neat,  short  cir- 
cular wrapped  around  the  package  of  tea  will  be  read  by  the 
majority.  People  like  to  get  something  for  nothing  and 
really  prize  it  a  great  deal  more  than  if  they  had  paid  for  it. 
Under  the  circumstances  they  will  surely  read  whatever  is 
given  to  them  for  this  purpose,  so  that  a  circular  dissertating 
upon  the  healthfulness  of  tea;  followed  by  rules  for  making 
tea  properly,  and  a  statement  proving  the  comparative  cheap- 
ness of  tea  as  a  beverage,  for  instance,  will  add  strength  to 
the  advertisement,  and  in  the  wording  of  the  circular  the  re- 
tailer can  take  every  advantage  which  may  present  itself  to 
call  attention  to  the  quality,  etc.,  of  the  particular  brand  of 
tea  he  is  advertising. 

A  small  beginning  along  these  lines  will  demonstrate  the 
advantages  to  be  derived  from  such  a  method  of  building  up 
a  tea-trade,  and  it  can  be  followed  up  quickly  by  greater  ef- 
forts according  to  the  measure  of  success. 

Demonstration,  that  is,  serving  the  beverage,  without 
charge,  in  the  store,  is  a  fairly  good  way  of  advertising  when 
it  can  be  properly  managed.  It  is  costly  in  many  ways,  but  it 
usually  yields  a  fair  measure  of  success.  The  difficulties  in 
the  way  of  successfully  advertising  in  this  manner,  however, 


262  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

are  greater  with  tea  than  with  other  beverages,  but  with  a 
little  foresight  and  care  such  difficulties  can  be  easily  overcome. 
It  is  not  easy  to  keep  the  infusion  of  tea  in  such  a  condition 
as  will  do  it  justice,  or  will  correctly  represent  its  true  qual- 
ity, and  it  is  impossible,  on  account  of  the  time  it  takes,  to 
make  a  fresh  pot  of  tea  for  each  individual  who  is  willing  to 
try  it.  A  large  urn  cannot  be  used  to  advantage,  for  long 
before  the  contents  are  exhausted  the  infusion  will  have  de- 
teriorated considerably,  and  to  serve  it  in  such  a  condition 
will  do  more  harm  than  good.  The  better  plan  to  adopt  is  to 
use  two  medium  or  large  sized  tea-pots;  make  the  infusion  in 
one,  according  to  rule ;  and  pour  it  into  the  other  and  keep  the 
liquid  hot  in  the  second  pot  under  an  English  tea-cozy  if  pos- 
sible. It  will,  however,  be  necessary  to  make  the  infusion 
fresh  at  short  intervals. 

The  greatest  difficulty  in  demonstrating  is  to  obtain  a 
lady-clerk  who  is,  at  once,  able  to  make  good  tea,  and  capable 
of  talking  it  up  and  making  sales  while  serving  the  drink. 
For  this  kind  of  work  it  is  not  good  policy  to  employ  one  who 
is  well  known  to  prospective  customers,  for  the  reason  that  her 
talk  will  have  little  or  no  effect.  Store  customers  will  try  the 
tea,  of  course,  and  will  doubtless  listen  to  what  the  demon- 
strator has  to  say,  but  they  will  realize,  from  their  past  know- 
ledge of  the  lady,  that  she  knows  but  little,  if  anything,  more 
about  the  subject  than  they  do  themselves.  A  perfect  stranger 
always  carries  more  weight,  a  great  deal  more  weight,  in  fact, 
and  it  is,  therefore,  very  advisable  to  employ  such  an  one  for 
the  work. 

In  connection  with  the  demonstration  plan  a  tastefully 
arranged  little  booth  made  up  after  an  Oriental  design  in 
point  of  appearance  and  coloring,  with  dainty  cups,  spoons  and 
table  linen,  would  prove  very  effective.  It  is  not  costly  to  at- 
tire the  attendant  in  flowing  Oriental  costume,  and  this  will 
add  very  materially  to  the  effectiveness  of  the  idea.  Within 


HOW  TO  ESTABLISH  A  TEA  TRADE.  263 

the  booth,,  or  within  easy  reach  of  it,  hot  water,  towels,  extra 
cups,  saucers  and  spoons  should  be  placed,  while  upon  the 
counter  of  the  booth,  and  within  easy  sight,  a  number  of  the 
packages  of  the  advertised  tea  should  be  piled  up.  It  is  best 
to  have  the  demonstrator  adopt  a  system  of  keeping  track  of 
her  daily  sales  so  that  it  may  be  known  if  the  demonstration 
is  paying  or  not,  and  the  retailer  will  do  well  to  note  that  the 
booth,  the  demonstrator  and  the  materials  used  are,  at  all 
times,  clean,  neat  and  tidily  arranged. 

Demonstrating  in  stores  has  proved  itself  to  be  a  profit- 
able and  effective  method  of  advertising,  and  although  the  idea 
has  not  been  extensively  adopted  as  a  means  for  pushing  tea- 
sales,  there  is  no  good  reason  why  it  should  not  be  as  effective 
as  it  has  proved  to  be  in  the  introduction  of  cocoa,  coffee  and 
other  commodities.  It  might  be  advantageous  to  adopt  the 
system  in  conjunction  with  sampling,  that  is,  to  use  one  idea 
and,  later  on,  the  other. 

It  is,  however,  safe  to  assert  that  the  sampling  method 
will  prove  to  be  the  more  effective  one  if  judiciously  and  pro- 
perly carried  out,  and,  although  it  may  prove  to  be  more  costly, 
it  will  not  fail  to  bring  the  greatest  measure  of  returns. 

Outside  advertising  of  any  nature  must  be  fully  backed  up 
by  an  inside  display  in  keeping,  if  possible,  with  the  nature  of 
the  advertisement. 

To  display  a  line  of  teas  to  advantage  nothing  is  equal 
to  a  handsome  show  of  well-made,  full-sized  half-chest  tea- 
canisters.  It  is  not  easy  to  make  a  display  of  the  goods  them- 
selves, for  open  teas  quickly  gather  dust  and  lose  their  bright- 
ness and  freshness  if  exposed  to  the  air,  and  it  appears  to  be 
impossible  to  make  them  look  well  under  glass.  A  full  line 
of  good  canisters  suggests  good  tea;  suggests  care  in  keeping 
and  handling;  and  suggests  pride  in  the  line.  In  order  to 
make  the  most  of  a  display  of  tea-canisters  it  is  very  necessary 


264  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

that  they  be  placed  in  a  conspicuous  position,  as  close  to  the 
entrance  of  the  store  as  possible.  Tea  is  a  very  profitable  arti- 
cle, and  its  store  display  should,  under  all  circumstances,  be 
placed  where  customers  will  pass  it  upon  entering  and  upon 
leaving  the  store.  It  is  useless  to  attempt  to  advertise  teas  if 
the  goods  are  to  be  kept  in  chests  or  boxes  under  the  counter, 
in  diminutive  caddies,  or  at  the  back  end  of  the  store. 

Top-delivery,  or  slide-top,  weighted-lid,  decorated  tin-can- 
isters are  the  best  for  the  purpose,  for  they  can  be  made  more 
showy  and  more  suggestive  of  tea  than  bins  or  caddies  made 
of  wood  or  other  material.  A  handsome  display  of  a  number  of 
large  decorated  tea-canisters  made  to  fit  snugly  in  the  shelving, 
or  placed  in  any  suitable  position  near  the  entrance  of  the 
store  will  attract  immediate  attention  as  a  customer  enters, 
and  be,  in  itself,  an  advertisement  of  great  value.  It  is  the 
habit  of  a  great  many  tea- wholesalers  to  present  their  custo- 
mers with  tea-canisters  or  -cabinets  for  retailing  purposes,  but, 
in  most  instances,  these  receptacles  are  lettered  with  the  ad- 
vertisement of  the  wholesaler.  In  the  building  up  of  a  tea- 
trade  the  advertising  of  a  brand  of  tea  owned  by  another  i* 
not  calculated  to  insure  permanence,  for  the  owner  of  the 
brand  may  go  out  of  business  or  sell  his  brand  to  a  competitor 
or  competitors  and,  in  either  case,  past  advertising  of  the 
brand  will  be  lost.  It  is  strongly  advisable,  therefore,  for  the 
dealer  to  have  his  retailing  canisters  or  cabinet  made  to  order ; 
made  to  fit  his  shelving  or  selected  space,  and  to  have  his  own 
name  and  brand  painted  on  each.  Such  canisters  may  be  ob- 
tained from  any  first  class  tin- ware  factory  in  suitable  size 
and  design. 

In  the  event  of  advertising  being  done  by  means  of  pound- 
package  sampling  it  would  be  well  to  keep  the  canisters  filled 
with  half-pound  and  pound-packages,  and  to  arrange  a  neat 
display  of  the  packages  upon  the  counter  in  front  of  the  can- 
isters. Such  a  method  of  outside  and  inside  advertising  can- 


A    TEA    CANISTER    THAT    IS    A    TEA    CANISTER. 


HOW  TO  ESTABLISH  A  TEA  TRADE.  265 

not  be  otherwise  than  successful  and,  although  it  may  be 
somewhat  costly,  it  will  be  found  to  be  extremely  profitable  in 
the  end. 

A  window  display  of  tea  is  difficult,  and  cannot  be  ad- 
vocated as  a  good  means  of  advertising  unless  the  store  hap- 
pens to  be  located  upon  a  prominent  street  in  a  fairly  large 
city. 

To  display  teas  in  a  show-window  the  utmost  care  must 
be  exercised  in  keeping  the  samples  free  from  dust  and  sun- 
light, otherwise  their  lustre  and  freshness  will  be  quickly  de- 
stroyed. It  is  better  to  make  a  small,  neat  show  of  empty  tea- 
packages  in  a  window  than  to  display  a  number  of  samples  of 
teas,  but  if  the  latter  kind  of  advertising  is  attempted,  the 
samples  must  be  changed  every  few  days  in  order  to  keep  them 
fresh  looking  and  attractive. 

In  a  window  display  of  teas  it  is  well  to  name  the  kinds 
upon  a  neat  card,  and  label  each  sample  with  its  price  per  lb., 
for  teas  exhibited  in  a  show  window,  without  name  or  price, 
will  attract  no  attention.  Surround  the  samples  with  any- 
thing Oriental;  anything  suggestive  of  the  beverage  or  its 
origin;  tea-pots,  tea-cups,  empty  original  packages  of  various 
sizes  neatly  done  up -again,  showing  the  labels;  pictures  of 
Japanese  or  other  Oriental  scenes,  tea-picking  and  otherwise ; 
banners,  etc. 

Teas  that  have  been  exposed  in  a  show-window  should' 
never  be  offered  for  sale  for  what  they  were  before  the  expos- 
ure; but  should,  if  sold  at  all,  be  offered  for  what  they  are, 
and  at  a  correspondingly  low  price.  If  exposed  for  a  few  days 
only  they  will  have  lost  their  original  good  qualities  and,  if 
sold  in  such  a  condition,  will  do  much  to  harm  the  brand. 

A  really  good  tea,  suitable  to  the  water  of  the  district  in 
which  it  is  to  be  sold,  may,  in  time,  advertise  itself  if  the 


266  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

dealer  is  content  to  depend  upon  such  an  uncertain  method  of 
building  up  his  trade,  but  it  is  better  to  adopt  some  system  of 
letting  the  people  know,  for,  in  building  up  a  tea-trade  it  will 
naturally  follow  that  the  regular  store  trade  will  benefit  ac- 
cordingly. Tea  is  a  specialty,  and  a  very  profitable  specialty 
at  that,  and  it  is,  therefore,  one  of  the  very  best  articles  kept 
in  a  modern  grocery  stock  to  advertise,  for  as  soon  as  consum- 
ers discover  the  fact  that  a  really  fine  tea  is  procurable  at  a 
certain  store,  they  will  not  be  slow  in  transferring  their  entire 
grocery  trade  to  that  store,  for,  they  will  argue,  if  the  tea  is 
so  much  better  than  usually  procurable,  other  goods  are  likely 
to  be  so  too. 

In  conclusion  it  may  be  safely  stated  that  the  dealer  who 
first  places  himself  in  a  position  to  fully  understand  what  he 
is  doing,  and  to  know  that  he  can  back  up,  in  every  respect, 
all  that  he  may  say  to  the  public  about  his  teas,  will  win 
trade  from  the  one  who  refuses  to  use  printer's  ink  or  advertise 
in  other  ways;  but  in  order  that  the  new  trade  may  be  held 
and  increased,  care  must  be,  at  all  times,  exercised  in  the  selec- 
tion of  the  goods,  and  in  the  way  that  they  are  placed  upon  the 
market.  With  these  original  precautions  continuously  in  view, 
and  with  a  judicious  system  of  letting  the  people  know,  results 
will  be 'attained  that  will  be  surprising,  and  that  will  amply 
repay  all  expense  and  trouble. 

The  value  of  a  first  class  blend  of  teas,  as  a  means  whereby 
a  profitable  and  lasting  tea-trade  may  be  built  up,  is  unques- 
tionably good.  Its  importance  to  the  retail  trade,  however, 
suggests  the  advisability  of  devoting  a  special  chapter  to  it,  to 
which  those  interested  are  respectfully  referred. 


CHAPTER    X. 

TEA  BLENDING. 

Were  it  not  for  the  many  and  serious  difficulties  which  the 
retail  dealer  of  this  country  will  meet  with  in  producing  an 
uniform  blend  of  tea ;  a  blend  which  will  be  satisfactory  at  all 
times;  the  idea  would  be  strenuously  advocated  as  a  means 
whereby  a  tea-trade  could  be  built  up ;  but,  inasmuch  as  these 
difficulties  do  exist,  and  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  is  hardly 
possible  to  advise  or  to  show  means  whereby  they  may  be  satis- 
factorily overcome  in  individual  cases,  an  advocacy  of  a  system 
of  blended  teas  will  be  attempted  only  as  given  hereafter. 

The  mixture  of  two  or  more  grades  or  varieties  of  teas 
to  create  a  blend  is  difficult  for  several  reasons.  To  begin  with 
the  grades  and  kinds  necessary  to  keep  it  uniform,  in  style 
as  well  as  in  drink,  are  not  easily  selected ;  proportions  of  each 
of  the  kinds  and  grades  are  not  easily  arrived  at,  and,  when  a 
satisfactory  blend  is  established,  it  will  be  found  that  the  in- 
gredient grades  and  kinds  are  not  always  procurable.  The 
substitution  or  the  matching  of  kinds  and  grades  for  those 
which  are  temporarily  or  permanently  unprocurable  is,  again, 
a  difficult  matter  for  a  novice  to  master,  for  to  do  this,  intelli- 
gently and  satisfactorily,  knowledge  is  necessary,  and  such  a 
knowledge  comes  only  with  practical  experience.  Were  it, 
however,  within  the  power  of  the  retailer  to  do  so,  and  it  is 
by  no  means  an  impossible  undertaking,  the  placing  of  a  care- 
fully prepared  blend  of  tea  upon  his  market  would  result  in 
outstripping  competition,  provided,  of  course,  that  the  retailer, 
in  his  blend,  is  able,  or  fortunate  enough,  to  capture  the  popu- 
lar fancy  and  taste. 

Under  the  circumstances,  and  in  spite  of  the  difficulties 


268  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

in  the  way,  a  study  of  the  subject  is  advocated,  for  it  will  not 
only  be  found  to  be  particularly  interesting,  but  it  will  aid 
the  student  in  his  attempt  to  understand  teas,  and,  should  he 
succeed,  it  would  certainly  inure  to  his  material  advantage, 
so,  for  these  reasons,  the  following  remarks  upon  the  subject 
may  be  of  benefit. 

The  blending  of  teas  is  by  no  means,  as  most  retailers 
know,  a  new  idea.  The  blending  of  coffees,  wines,  etc..  ha^ 
been  a  known  science  for  many  generations,  and  the  result^ 
attained  by  a  happy  combination  of  several  kinds  and  grades 
of  the  above-mentioned  articles,  as  well  as  of  teas,  have  been 
beneficial  to  the  beverages.  In  Great  Britain  few  teas  are  sold 
to  consumers  now-a-days  that  are  not  blended  either  before  or 
after  reaching  the  hands  of  retailers,  but,  in  that  country,  both 
journeymen  and  master  grocers  have  served  an  apprentice- 
ship to  the  trade,  and  the  scientific  and  economic  blend  in  ir  of 
teas  has,  therefore,  been  a  part  of  their  business  education. 

The  idea  of  blending,  or  mixing  two  or  several  t«ias  to- 
gether is,  at  once,  to  produce  a  beverage  that  will  be  a^ivcablo 
to  the  taste ;  gratifying  to  the  appetite ;  satisfactory  to  the  con- 
sumer; less  costly,  if  possible,  to  the  retailer  and,  more  im- 
portant yet,  if  the  above  objects  have  been  attained,  dittim-tirr 
in  yrncral  drinking  characteristics.  There  can  be  no  question 
Bti  to  the  outcome  for  the  retailer  in  the  placing  of  siu-h  a 
tea  upon  his  market.  It  will  give  satisfaction;  it  cannot  be 
readily  matched  and,  in  consequence,  competition  cannot 
affect  it. 

The  belief  which  is  general  throughout  the  United  States 
that  teas  are  blended  solely  for  the  purpose  of  reducing  cost 
is  without  the  shadow  of  a  foundation  in  fact.  This  is  some- 
times the  case  where  two  or  three  different  grades  of  the  t 
kind  of  teas  are  blended,  but  such  a  procedure  is  not  often  at- 
tempted by  wholesalers,  and  for  a  retailer  to  do  so  would,  in 
most  cases,  be  very  unwise,  if  not  risky,  for  he  would  run  as 


TEA  BLENDING.  269 

great,  if  not  a  greater,  chance  of  loss  of  grade  as  he*  would  of 
gain,  for  there  is  a  greater  danger  of  the  lower  grades  impart- 
ing roughness  or  harshness  to  the  whole  than  there  is  of  the 
finer  grades  imparting  their  better  flavor. 

Teas  of  different  kinds  are  blended  for  the  purpose  of 
producing  results  in  the  drink  which  cannot  otherwise  be  ob- 
tained, and  should  it  be  possible,  as  it  frequently  is,  of  obtain- 
ing a  more  satisfactory  tea  at  a  lesser  cost,  then  a  double  ob- 
ject has  been  attained.  The  combination  of  the  several  flavors 
of  the  different  kinds  of  teas  which  constitute  a  well  selected 
or  a  happy  blend,  unite,  and,  in  their  union,  produce  pleasing 
effects.  One  of  the  grades  or  kinds,  we  will  say,  possesses  deli- 
cate flavor  in  a  marked  degree;  another  good  body;  a  third, 
aroma ;  a  fourth  strength,  then  the  combined  whole,  if  not 
interfered  with  by  an  injudiciously  selected  ingredient,  will 
create  a  blend  which  will  produce  a  drink  that  will  have  flavor, 
body,  aroma  and  strength  in  correct  and  happy  proportions. 
In  such  a  case  the  qualities  of  each  will  back  the  others  up, 
so  to  speak,  and  the  union  of  all,  after  assimilation,  will  give 
a  combination  that  will  be  distinctive,  and  yet,  if  carefully  se- 
lected with  the  taste  of  the  community  in  mind,  not  suf- 
ficiently so  to  be  called  some  other  kind  of  tea. 

The  main  object  for  the  retailer  to  keep  in  view  in  tea- 
mixing  is  to  produce  a  tea  that  will  please  the  greatest  number 
of  people ;  and,  in  order  to  do  this,  radical  changes  of  appear- 
ance, flavor,  and  strength  must  Ite  avoided,  and  a  blend  of 
teas  chosen  that  will  combine  the  expected  drinking  qualities 
and,  at  the  same  time,  create  and  cause  to  stand  out  prom- 
inently in  the  drink,  a  particular  flavor,  distinctive,  and  yet 
akin  to  the  accustomed  one. 

To  attempt  to  push  a  blend  of  tea  composed  of  sufficient 
black  varieties  to  make  the  taste  of  the  black  kinds  the  more 
pronounced,  in  a  community  accustomed  to  Chinese  or  Japan- 
ese green  teas,  would  be  folly,  and,  were  the  blend  one  which 


270  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

might  be  called  perfect,  it  would  not  give  satisfaction. 
Blends,  therefore,  whether  simple  or  complicated,  must  be 
made  with  the  taste  of  the  consumer  in  view,  otherwise  a  fail- 
ure may  be  looked  for.  In  a  community,  for  example,  where 
the  taste  runs  to  Basket-Fired  Japans,  a  mixture  of  an  agree- 
able portion  of  a  Moyune  Gunpowder  with  the  Basket- Fired 
will  improve  the  drink  without  materially  altering  the  Japan 
flavor,  and  yet  the  combination  of  the  two  teas  will  produce 
a  beverage  which  cannot  be  obtained  from  either  of  the  kinds 
if  brewed  alone,  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  blend  cannot  be 
matched  with  either  one  of  these  kinds  of  tea. 

In  order  to  be  able  to  perfect  a  blend  and  to  obtain  the 
result  which  is  looked  for,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  take 
into  consideration  certain  general  principles,  which  may  be 
summed  up  as  follows : 

First — The  retailer  must  have  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
taste  of  his  community  and  be  guided  thereby,  and  he  must 
acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  kinds  of  teas  that  will  blend  satis- 
factorily with  the  kinds  in  use  and  still  allow  the  taste  of  the 
accustomed  tea  Jto  predominate. 

Second — He  must  be  sufficiently  familiar  with  the  char- 
acteristics of  his  blend  as  a  whole,  and  with  the  qualifications 
of  every  kind  of  tea  contained  within  the  blend,  in  order  that, 
should  occasion  insist,  he  may  be  able  to  replace  any  unpro- 
curable sort  or  sorts  with  other  grades,  or  even  kinds,  without 
disarranging  the  characteristic  features  of  his  blend  to  any 
extent. 

Third — He  must  be  familiar  with  the  effect  of  the  water 
of  his  district  upon  all  of  the  ingredients  of  his  blend,  and  bo 
able  to  avoid  teas  which  are  unsuited  to  it. 

Fourth — It  is  important,  in  fact,  imperative,  that  the 
highest  grade  of  tea  in  the  blend  should  predominate,  so  that 


TEA  BLENDING.  271 

it  may  overcome  the  greater  harshness  or  commonness  of  a 
lower  or  lower  grades,  and  supply  the  character  to  the  whole. 
In  this  connection  it  is  wise  to  remember  that  coarseness  of 
flavor  is  difficult  to  overcome,  so  that,  if  it  is  the  object  to 
reduce  cost  in  order  to  make  a  price,  the  lower  grades  of  the 
blend  should  be,  as  nearly  as  possible,  neutral,  that  is,  without 
well  defined  roughness,  herbiness  or  other  harsher  character- 
istic of  a  commoner  tea. 

On  the  other  hand  lack  of  flavor  or  strength  in  the  lower 
grade  teas  is  also  difficult  to  overcome,  so  that  an  old  or  a 
characterless  tea  of  poor  body,  strength  and  flavor  will  very 
materially  reduce  the  quality  of  the  finer  grade  or  grades  and 
do  so  without  giving  anything  in  return. 

Fifth — In  the  use  of  teas  of  lower  grades,  style  must  be 
considered.  It  will  never  do  to  combine  several  teas  in  a 
blend  where  the  several  styles  are  so  far  apart  as  to  be  dis- 
tinctly noticeable.  Rough  appearing  leaf  should  not  be  mixed 
with  good  looking  leaf,  for  the  rougher  style,  being  larger,  will 
overcome  the  good,  and  the  general  appearance  will  be  poor, 
for  the  larger  leaf  of  the  commoner  sorts,  even  if  in  much 
smaller  proportion,  will  stand  out  prominently  and  impart  a 
cheap  appearance  to  the  whole.  Poorer  grade  teas  in  a  blend 
should,  therefore,  be  used  judiciously  with  regard  to  leaf,  and 
should  be  as  nearly  as  possible  of  the  same  size  as  that  of  the 
better  grades.  Uniformity  in  general  appearance  will  be,  in 
this  way,  attained  and  will  materially  add  to  the  value  of  the 
blend. 

Sixth — It  is  not  wise  to  blend  a  tea  to  order  in  the  scale- 
scoop  while  a  customer  is  waiting  for  it.  It  is  very  much  bet- 
ter to  blend  up  a  fairly  large  lot  and  allow  the  mass  to  remain 
for  several  weeks  before  selling.  As  has  been  stated  in 
another  chapter,  teas  readily  absorb  the  flavor  of  anything 
which  is  near  to  them,  so  that  when  a  number  of  different 


272  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

flavored  teas  are  blended  and  given  the  opportunity  and  time 
to  absorb  the  flavor  of  each  other,  the  result  will  be  a  union  of 
the  various  flavors  in  one  flavor  which  will  combine  the  char- 
acteristics of  each;  but  it  is  not  possible  to  obtain  this  result 
unless  the  necessary  time  is  allowed.  If  the  blended  tea  is 
sold  im mediately  after  blending  the  several  flavors  of  the  sev- 
eral kinds  have  had  no  time  to  unite,  and  the  result  is  sure  to 
be  a  different  flavor  or  taste  with  each  pot  of  tea  made  from 
the  blend.  In  the  making  of  the  infusion  of  a  freshly  blended 
tea  it  is  impossible  for  the  maker  of  the  blend  to  mix  it  so  that 
the  correct  proportion  of  each  ingredient  kind  will  be  taken 
or  used  by  the  consumer  or  the  maker  of  the  infusion  for  each 
pot,  and,  in  such  a  case,  one  pot  of  tea  will,  in  all  probability, 
have  a  greater  quantity  of  the  leaves  of  one  of  the  ingredient 
kinds,  and  this  will  naturally  impart  to  the  liquor  the  flavor  of 
that  ingredient  in  a  pronounced  degree.  The  next  pot  of  tea 
made  from  the  blend  is  very  likely  to  have  the  pronounced 
flavor  of  some  other  ingredient,  and  such  a  dissimilarity  of 
flavor  in  the  brewings  will  cause  dissatisfaction.  In  the  com- 
mercial test  of  a  freshly  blended  tea,  it  is,  for  the  above  reason, 
rarely  found  that  two  cups  will  have  the  same  flavor,  taste  or 
liquor,  so  that,  in  order  to  arrive  at  a  conclusion,  or  to  have  a 
perfect  idea  of  the  result  of  a  blend,  it  is  necessary  to  allow 
the  mixture  to  stand  for  several  weeks  so  that  the  flavors  of 
each  of  the  component  parts  may  have  the  necessary  time  to 
unite. 

Seventh — It  is  very  important  in  mixing  a  blend  that, 
after  the  proportion  of  each  ingredient  has  been  reached,  care 
should  be  taken  in  weighing  out  the  required  quantities  of  eacli 
grade.  Careless  weighing,  or  guessing  at. quantities  will  in- 
variably spoil  an  otherwise  good  blend.  In  such  matters  it 
pays  to  take  the  time  necessary. 

Eighth — It  is  just  as  important  that  the  mass  should 


TEA  BLENDING.  273 

be  thoroughly  mixed.  Hap-hazard  or  careless  mixing  will 
surely  spoil  the  blend,  and  it  would  be  very  much  better  to 
have  no  blend  at  all  rather. than  one  which  is  not  properly 
mixed.  In  Canada  many  retail  merchants  use  a  tea-mixer 
made  of  wood  or  metal,  which,  in  appearance,  is  like  a  Hunter 
patent  flour-sifter,  but,  of  course,  the  sides  and  bottom  arc 
solid  instead  of  perforated.  The  revolving  wires  have  flanges 
attached  so  that  a  few  revolutions  thoroughly  mixes  the  leaves. 
A  mixer  of  this  kind  is  decidedly  better  than  mixing  by  hand 
or  by  the  aid  of  a  scoop. 

Owing  to  the  many  and  serious  difficulties  which  the  re- 
tailer is  likely  to  encounter  in  making  his  own  blends,  and  in 
keeping  them  uniform,  it  has  not  been  deemed  advisable  to 
recommend  the  use  of  blended  teas  as  a  means  whereby  a  trade 
may  be  established  and  held.  Nevertheless  the  idea  is  too 
valuable  as  a  trade-winner  to  pass  without  some  effort  being 
made  to  overcome  these  difficulties,  so  that  in  order  to  place  the 
retailer  in  a  position  to  adopt  the  plan  if  he  desires  to  do  so, 
the  following  advice  is,  in  conclusion,  offered. 

Choose  some  reputable  Wholesale  Grocer,  Tea  Specialty 
House  or  tea-expert  and  make  arrangements  to  have  a  suitable 
blend  put  up  into  packages  or  chests  of  a  size  to  suit.  Whole- 
sale houses  are  generally  in  a  position  to  get  up  satisfactory 
blends  for  their  customers ;  are  prepared  to  keep  the  grade  and 
flavor  uniform  at  all  times,  and  are  usually  willing  to  under- 
take the  work  at  a  trifling  charge  above  the  cost  of  the  ingre- 
dient bulk  teas,  the  profit  on  the  various  teas  used  in  the 
blend  being  ample  remuneration.  If  the  tea-department  of 
the  retailer's  wholesale  grocery  house  is  consulted  much  good 
will  result.  The  manager  will,  more  than  likely,  be  only  too. 
glad  to  undertake  the  work  of  getting  up  a  good  and  satisfac- 
tory blend;  will  enquire  into  existing  conditions  as  to  popular 
taste,  water  of  the  district,  etc.,  and,  if  the  blending  and  pack- 


274  TEA  HINTS  FOR  RETAILERS. 

ing  is  left  to  him  at  an  agreed  price,  results,  in  the  matter  of 
trade-building,  will  be  much  greater  than  can  be  supposed. 

By  the  adoption  of  such  a  policy  the  retail  dealer  will  have 
the  advantage,  to  begin  with,  of  the  tea-man's  knowledge  and 
ability ;  can  order  conservatively,  in  order  to  protect  himself, 
until  the  suitability  of  the  blend  is  assured,  and,  when  a  com- 
bination of  teas  has  been  secured  that  will  give  undoubted 
satisfaction,  all  that  is  necessary  to  win  and  hold  trade  with 
the  blend  is  systemative  and  persistive  push. 

On  the  other  hand  should  the  retailer  desire  to  experiment 
with  blends  for  his  own  knowledge  and  ultimate  profit,  refer- 
ence may  safely  be  made  to  Mr.  Walsh's  exhaustive  work  upon 
the  subject  and  to  his  numerous  specimen  blends.*  With 
these,  and  a  little  patient  practice,  the  retailer  will  ultimately 
obtain  a  satisfactory  blend. 

In  either  case,  and  with  a  good  blend  or  blends  obtained, 
the  retailer  will  act  very  wisely  if  he  packs  the  tea  in  neat 
retailing  packages  of  suitable  sizes  and  adopts  some  brand  for 
protection  against  unscrupulous  competition.  A  good  brand 
on  a  package  makes  advertising  much  easier,  and  a  good  blend 
of  tea  within  the  package  will  back  up  any  or  all  advertising 
the  retailer  undertakes. 

Tea-blending  as  a  science  is  mainly  the  result  of  the 
introduction  of  the  heavy-bodied,  pungent  teas  of  India  and 
Ceylon.  Prior  to  the  introduction  of  these,  China  teas  in 
Great  Britain  were  frequently  blended  to  produce  a  more  de- 
sirable or  a  more  delicately  flavored  drink;  a  drink,  for  in- 
stance, combining  the  soft  mellowness  of  a  China  black  tea 
with  the  pleasing  sharpness  of  a  green,  but,  with  the  advent  of 
India  teas,  blending  for  other  purposes  became  imperative.  It 
was  impossible  to  quickly  change  the  taste  of  consumers  from 
the  mild,  flavory  teas  of  China  to  the  very  much  stronger, 
harsher  and  darker-liquoring  ones  of  India,  and,  if  a  success 
*"Tea  Blending  as  a  Fine  Art,"  Joseph  M.  Walsh,  1896. 


TEA  BLENDING.  275 

was  to  be  made  of  the  introduction  of  British  grown  teas  in 
British  countries,  the  taste  of  the  communities  for  such  must 
be  educated  slowly  and  gradually.  With  this  end  in  view,  In- 
dia teas  were  blended  with  China  blacks,  the  quantity  of  the 
former  being  gradually  increased  until  a  taste  for  their  flavor 
was  acquired  by  consumers,  and  the  result  desired  by  those 
interested  in  the  consumption  of  British  grown  teas  attained. 
Tea-blending,  therefore,  has  become  a  common  practice  in 
Great  Britain  and  her  colonies  during  the  last  20  to  30  years ; 
so  much  so,  indeed,  that  few  teas  are  served  to  the  public  of 
those  countries  unblended.  Once  introduced,  the  system  be- 
came general,  for,  owing  to  the  fact  that  India  and  Ceylon  teas 
vary  considerably  in  flavor  and  strength  with  the  monthly 
pluckings,  it  became  necessary  to  blend  other  garden  teas  that 
were  akin  in  flavor,  etc.,  to  the  one  in  former  use,  in  order  to 
produce  one  uniform  drink  throughout  the  year  and  through- 
out succeeding  years,  and,  as  a  result  of  this,  the  profession 
of  the  public  tea-expert  and  blender  of  Great  Britain  has 
prospered. 

By  means  of  constant  practice  these  expert  tea-men  are 
enabled  to  produce  blends  that  are  perfect;  that  are  entirely 
suited  to  the  water  of  the  district  in  which  the  infusion  is  to 
be  made  by  consumers,  and  that  will  be  uniform  in  drink  at 
all  times,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  teas  from  specified 
gardens  are  rarely  uniform.  Uniformity  of  drink  is  the  result 
required  at  all  times,  and  if  such  cannot  be  obtained  by  a  union 
of  two  or  three  teas  of  different  flavor,  body  and  strength,  more 
teas  are  added  to  the  blend  to  equalize  the  drinking  qualities, 
until  a  drink  in  every  respect  akin  to  that  required  is  attained. 
In  America,  however,  where  no  such  conditions  exist,  tea- 
blending  is  not  likely  to  become  so  general,  and  so  long  as  the 
light-bodied,  flavory  teas  of  China  and  Japan,  which  really 
need  no  mixing,  are  used,  the  science  of  tea-blending  is  not 
likely  to  become  of  such  importance  as  it  is  in  Great  Britain. 


